Methanol fuel-cell laptop on its way?

Cyndy Aleo-Carreira — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:22:01 -0700

greenUPGRADER brings us news of a possible greener laptop that could potentially be available within the next two or three years. The laptop from PolyFuel is a prototype Lenovo T40 that uses a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) for power. The refillable cartridge could provide up to 10 hours of battery usage, and the company doesn't even feel that's at peak efficiency.

PolyFuel believes that, at full capacity, the battery could have over 10 times the power of the current rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries currently in use. The prototype battery is larger than the standard laptop battery, but weighs less (making the overall laptop weight lighter), and, even at its current capacity, has over three times the battery life of the Lenovo's OEM battery.

The fuel cell cartridge could be made from either recyclable or biodegradable material, and be recycled when it reaches the end of its usable life.

Assuming that the DMFC is refillable in the same manner as a cigarette lighter, it could be inconvenient to refill on a daily basis, but would you be willing to trade the inconvenience for a battery life of 10 hours or more?

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