UltraCell Methanol Fuel Cell System hasn't been hit with the ugly stick

Wow, look — a fuel cell that doesn't look like a slab of industrial scrap metal. UltraCell's Portable Methanol Fuel Cell System will power your portable electronic devices at twice the energy density of a lithium battery, using a micro reformer to generate hydrogen from concentrated methanol. About the size of a paperback novel, it weighs in at about 40 ounces, which puts us closer to something we might actually be willing to cart around with us. Fuel canisters can be instantly hot swapped to provide continuous power in remote situations, or support batteries by serving as a portable recharging power supply. The 25 watt version intended for consumer use, UltraCell25, will be available next year — sure wish we could tell ya how much.

[Ken @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Here is how much it costs: an arm and a leg!

[bert @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Cant afford Fuel Cells?
Well there is an alternative!,
Hamster power!,
just connect a few hamster wheels to a small dynamo and connect to computer device!! cheap to replace hamsters only draw back is the cleaning

[Alejandro Rosa @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

You're probably right but at least we're starting to see fuel cell tech starting to hit the market. At least in the next year. Now all we have to do is wait another 5 years for the price drop and we'll be in business.

[Richard @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Um, I don't know what Fuel Cell you guys are looking at, but that one's plenty ugly.

[vadsoom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Interesting product, but good luck getting it on a plane...

[PG @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Looks like it would match one of those Tough Books pretty well.

[rocket punch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

So these a bascially all banded in airplanes right?? Given that the fuel canister is pressurized

[Hitesh Sawlani @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

How do you repleshing the fuel cell? They dont expect us to keep a bottle of methanol handy do they?

How about pricing? Not much point if its cost prohibitive...!

[jv @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I'm with Richard ... That boy's been hit with the ugly CLUB!

[Falchion @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

It's not that ugly. Not when compared to what other stuff looks like.

Then again, it does sorta remind me of my Mach3 razor. Maybe they used the same marketing group? :)

--
http://stoopidme.org

[Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Long live fuel cell powered EVERYTHING! it may not be pretty, but it's the wave of the future, and everything starts out ugly before they figure out how to style it. Compare video game systems from 15 years ago to today. They'll have Hello Kitty Fuel Cells in no time.

[Topmounter @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Cool idea, but until I can take it on a plane and use it for business travel, it is pretty much worthless to me.

Besides, I wonder how efficient it is when you take into account the manufacturing and charging of fuel cannisters versus current rechargeable laptop battery technology.

Seems like it would be nice for emergency power in your under-house bunker or in the trunk of your car.

[Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Fuel Cells aren't allowed on planes yet, but they will be. The methanol isn't pressurized.

[Wayne R. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

So fuel cell vehicles have a problem getting tanked up with way-too-expensive-to-produce hydrogen. How come we don't hear of methanol fueled fuel cells in vehicles?

What's the non-H2O output resulting from this thing's methanol? Is it stinky? Deadly?

[Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

The exhaust contains both water and carbon dioxide, nothing stinky, nothing poisonous.

[WOV @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I bet you'll see them marketing the cartridges in an airport-bookstore, convenience-store, Radio Shack, rack near the cash register kind of way.

If, however, they miss the opportunity to rock a $.25 deposit on them, while they're the sole supplier, and/or have some sort of mailback system like they were an inkjet cartridge, well, then they will have bequeathed onto humanity a New Thing to Throw Away, which is just unhelpful...seize the opportunity while you can!

[Gus Jenkins @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Um, what kind of laptop runs on 25 watts?

[christopher @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

How long before someone overclocks it to use propane?

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I have to agree with #17 Gus Jenkins. My friend bought a new laptop for College that uses 90 watts. I guess someone might figure out a way to recharge mp3 player batteries. But that's about all you could use this for, all the low power electronics.

Nick

[plasmoidia @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Heh #17 and #19 those were my thoughts exactly. My laptop uses up 120 watts to recharge it. Probably the lowest power laptop I've seen was 65 watts. But still, it's a start and I'm sure more powerful cells will be on the way. Very interesting technology.

[Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I think that even if you cant use it to power the laptop, you could use it to charge the batteries while the laptop is off, and then go from their, or it could be used as a suppliment to extend the battery life.

But if both of those assumptions are wrong, I do forsee some problems...

[Ted @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Reply to #17, #19, #20...

Average laptops use about 15 Watts while running office applications. A laptop playing a DVD will use about 25-30 Watts. Briefly when booting up, or when playing power-intense games, power usage gets up to 60 Watts.

The average laptop battery today is about 55 Watt-hours and lasts about 3 hours of run time (that comes to average usage of 18 Watts)

So, 25 Watts is enough for normal users.

AC adapters are usually rated at 70, 90, or 120 Watts... but that's to cover peak power loads while also recharging the laptop's internal battery.