Originally published February 14 2005
Medis Technologies, Ltd. is looking to use fuel cells as battery chargers instead of batteries
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Most development of fuel cells for small electronics has been in using fuel cells as a power source. However, Medis Technologies, Ltd. is looking to create fuel cells that are used to recharge batteries instead. This new, portable recharger is designed to use a minimum of flammable materials and metals, and would allow the user to recharge anywhere and anytime, instead of relying on a wall socket.
A company says it's making chargers that run on fuel cells.
Talk of fuel-cell batteries for handheld devices is being diluted by talk of new fuel cells as chargers for conventional batteries.
For example, Medis Technologies Ltd. says it's ready to demonstrate a fuel cell that can charge the conventional batteries in mobile phones, PDAs, and other similar devices.
Medis' Power Pack is a disposable fuel cell designed to give a cell phone, for example, three to five full recharges, says Robert Lifton, chairman and CEO.
The company says it has delivered to General Dynamics Corp. 16 Power Packs that produce 5 watts and up to 5 volts of electricity.
The fuel-cell industry is moving away from early plans to make fuel-cell batteries, because they can't be recharged with a cord plugged into a socket, Lifton says.
Instead, it's building fuel-cell chargers, giving device users the option of plugging their conventional batteries into a wall outlet if they need to.
And, Medis claims, its fuel-cell technology is superior to NASA Apollo-era fuel-cell technology that's still being used in the industry.
Those products incorporate expensive metals, multiple fuel cells, and methanol as the fuel.
The expensive metals have been minimized in the Power Pack, the charger has only one fuel cell, and the fuel is a mix of borohydride, alcohol, water, and alkaline, Lifton says.
Methanol is flammable at 51 degrees F, he says, and his fuel is flammable at 450 degrees, making the Power Pack safer to use.
And eliminating the metals and the stack of cells, Lifton says, makes the Power Pack lighter and less expensive.
At full production, planned for the second half of this year, the Power Pack will cost consumers $10 to $20 each, compared with the $100 he says a conventional fuel-cell charger would run.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml