Methanol powered computers

[Captain Mark]

NEC Unveils Methanol-Fueled Laptop
Mon Jun 30,12:48 PM ET Add Technology - AP to My Yahoo!



TOKYO - Japanese computer giant NEC Corp. Monday revealed a prototype of a laptop computer that runs on a methanol fuel cell instead of a rechargeable battery, and said it will start selling it next year.

A number of other companies are developing similar fuel cells, which promise to power electronics ten times longer than the lithium-ion batteries currently in use.


Also, users will be able to keep operating their computers by replacing the fuel cartridge or refilling with methanol fuel, instead of recharging the battery.


NEC initially plans to introduce a computer with a fuel-cell system able to run for five consecutive hours on a single cartridge of methanol fuel, but also plans to make a PC within two years that can run continuously for as long as 40 hours.


Fuel cells produce electricity without generating pollutants, through an electrochemical reaction that uses oxygen and hydrogen.


Japanese companies are shaping up to be pioneers in fuel-cell technology. NEC rival Toshiba Corp. said in March it developed the world's first prototype of a methanol-type fuel cell system to run notebook PCs. It also plans to commercialize its product in 2004.


Among other leading Japanese micro fuel cell developers are Sony Corp (news - web sites)., Casio Computer Co. and Hitachi Ltd.

 

[striker_29]

Cool, its about time Never fails that my battery is dead when I'm not near a power source and need to do something on the laptop

 

[Matt Weiser]

That's way cool. But the ultimate power source is a fuel cell that runs on hydrogen made from solar power. Honda Motor Co. is already doing this to power fuel-cell cars at its plant in SoCal. They've got a solar panel array that converts plain-ol' water into hydrogen; the hydrogen then runs their fuel-cell car. It takes about three days of sunshine to make enough hydrogen to run the car for 200 miles.

Picture it: A solar panel built into the top of your laptop; put a teaspoon of water in the laptop; put the laptop in a sunny window for a day; then run the laptop nonstop for five hours.

All we gotta do now is bring the price down (solar panels and fuel cells still really expensive)!