MTI Micro has unveiled in Tokyo two prototype Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) that can keep portable electronics products running for longer than conventional batteries and make recharging much easier.
The prototypes, which are based on several years of development work at the company, include a sleek model fitted to the back of a Samsung BlackJack smart phone and one packed into a battery grip of the size already used on digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. They will be on show at the Fuel Cell Expo and MTI Micro CEO Peng Lim sat down with us before the show.
PENG LIM, CEO, MTI Micro
We have two really exciting prototypes to show here in Tokyo. One that I am holding here is a battery grip extended battery life charger. If you take a look here it's exactly the same size as a battery grip you can buy from a store but with a fuel cell it will provide twice the energy and also you can have a methanol cartridge that you can plug in and it will provide continuous energy so you won't have to plug into the wall to recharge your batteries. So it will be perfect for a photographer that is on the go so you don't have to rely on a grid for recharge."
"And the second thing we have is this proof of concept that shows to demonstrate that our fell cell is capable of being embedded into a phone itself. If you take a look it's a very small device, this is an off-the-shelf phone and this is a fuel cell on the back. I'm going to turn it on so that I can show you that this phone is powered by the fuel cell. So it's very very small."
Before the prototypes are commercialized MTI plans to bring onto the market a DMFC-based charger. With a USB power socket on its side it can recharge any number of portable electronic devices and even run them if they use a sufficiently small amount of power.
Each refill cartridge for the recharger has enough methanol to recharge a cell phone about 8 to 10 times. MTI is looking to partner with OEM companies to sell the rechargers, which it says will be ready for commercial production in 2009.
MTI isn't the only company pursuing DMFC technology. Others like Japan's Toshiba have been showing prototypes for years but none are yet to reach the market.
Their debut has been partly delayed by hassles getting the methanol fuel onboard aircraft but the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has approved uncompressed methanol fuel cartridges for carriage on planes and several countries including the U.K., Canada, Japan and China have adjusted local rules to match. The U.S. is currently in the process of clearing DMFCs for take-off.
In Tokyo this is Martyn Williams, IDG News Service.
