Apple is working on laptops and smart phones powered by hydrogen cells that would only require refueling every few weeks.
According to two documents submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office, the iPhone maker said that its proposal will eliminate the need for its devices to have a heavy and bulky battery.
Fuel cells powered by hydrogen use the gas, along with oxygen and water, to create electrical energy. The technology has long been touted as a potential source for greener cars, while electronics manufacturers have also shown interest in replacing batteries that rely on toxic chemicals.
In its patent filings, Apple said: 'Our country's continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East.'
The submission added than there is a desire amongst consumers for renewable energy sources. Recent figures from analysts IDC revealed the Apple's iPad once again dominated sales of tablet computers for the third quarter running.
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Apple working on Hydrogen powered laptops.
Started by E3 wise, Dec 29 2011 06:50 PM
renewable energy
18 replies to this topic
#3
Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:04 PM
Hydrogen doesn't have nearly the energy content of hydrocarbons so it shouldn't be all that dangerous to use these cells. Of course, they would still have to convince the transportation regulators. The thing I question is why they would go with this technology in place of higher density batteries in the first place. Battery technology had not really been advanced for decades before interest in electric vehicles arose again. Given the new interest in the development in batteries, it would seem to make more sense to go in this direction instead.
#4
Posted 03 January 2012 - 08:20 PM
Hydrogen power concept had been a topic since I was still a baby. That was nearly 40 years ago. But until now, the technology isn't prospering too much. Good to know that some companies are making bold actions to really use hydrogen. I just hope that this one will not go into another fiction.
#5
Posted 04 January 2012 - 08:55 PM
I wonder what this will do to the cost of these devices? Will this be a more expensive or cheaper form of production. I suppose even if it costs them less in the long run to produce they can market it as 'new technology' and charge us double.
#6
Posted 04 January 2012 - 09:02 PM
As all other Apple products, this thing would invariably be much more costly than other products of the same category. Add to that the fact that its a new kind of technology being implemented here, that would make the price go even higher.
Just by the way, how are you supposed to recharge the cells, pouring water?
Just by the way, how are you supposed to recharge the cells, pouring water?
#7
Posted 05 January 2012 - 11:42 AM
omkar1991, on 04 January 2012 - 09:02 PM, said:
As all other Apple products, this thing would invariably be much more costly than other products of the same category. Add to that the fact that its a new kind of technology being implemented here, that would make the price go even higher. Just by the way, how are you supposed to recharge the cells, pouring water?
Recharging will be a fill up canister of some sort. I have heard that some fuel cells can use butane for example so something like those small canisters used to recharge lighters would likely be the answer. However, there would likely be problems in getting these containers on planes so it will be interesting.
#8
Posted 05 January 2012 - 03:03 PM
E3Wise- This is just the latest of several companies bringing portable fuel cell to market between now and 2013. I am still trying to find the company that got TSA approval already, I believe it was an MCFC but I still looking through my referance material to find the company for you guys. Any way this is from Forbes.
CES Preview: Fuel Cells Coming To Gadgets, Finally
Elizabeth Woyke 12/30/2011 @ 2:40PM |4,207 views
Fuel cells for consumer electronics are one of those technologies that always seem poised for mainstream adoption but never quite make it. A New York-based chemicals company says that will finally change in 2012 with the release of a portable fuel cell charger that can power up cellphones and other mobile devices. Two recently published patent applications also indicate that Apple is investigating similar technology for its portable computing devices. That could prompt other gadget makers to adopt fuel cell charging.
The soon-to-be-released portable charger, called POWERTREKK, is slated to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and go on sale in Europe in early 2012 and in the U.S. in the spring. Prices have not yet been determined but Michael Lefenfeld, Chief Executive of SiGNa Chemistry, which designed the cartridges in POWERTREKK’s fuel cells, says the fuel cells will cost less than a 4-pack of AA batteries. (POWERTREKK is manufactured and distributed by a Swedish company called myFC.)
POWERTREKK is a hybridized fuel cell system, meaning it recharges gadgets’ existing batteries rather than replaces them. It consists of a 5 watt-hour battery cartridge and replaceable 3-5 watt fuel packs, each of which should produce enough energy to charge an iPhone at least once. Lefenfeld says POWERTREKK can also charge other kinds of cellphones, digital cameras, GPS devices and some tablets. It connects to the gadgets via USB or mini-USB connectors.
This type of charger has been years in the making. Companies including Motorola and Duracell spent millions researching fuel cells for gadgets before shuttering their research initiatives, says Lefenfeld. Other companies also pursued the technology only to give up in the mid to late 2000s, he says. POWERTREKK itself took nearly two years to develop; SiGNa has been working with myFC on the product since early 2010.
Fuel cells have been successfully applied to machines like indoor forklifts, where they replace propane and gasoline. But shrinking fuel cells to be truly portable was challenging since hydrogen gas is particularly tricky to store. “The chemical solutions in the past all stored hydrogen,” explains Lefenfeld. “You’d need a thick, steel, pressurized container to store it.”
SiGNa’s solution is to use sodium silicide, which doesn’t store hydrogen but reacts with any kind of water (salt, sea, even polluted water) to create hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell to produce electricity that can be transmitted to gadgets through cords. “Add water, you get hydrogen; turn off [the water], you get nothing,” says Lefenfeld.
The need for a fuel cell makes the system bulkier than a regular, battery-powered external charger. Lefenfeld says consumers may opt for fuel cell chargers, however, because they are lighter than battery-operated chargers, don’t discharge power or degrade over time and work quickly. (An iPhone should charge in an hour or hour and a half using POWERTREKK.) SiGNa also removed another longtime fuel cell hurdle by getting its setup approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which sets standards for electrical and electronic technology. That will enable users to bring the POWERTREKK onto planes.
As its name indicates, POWERTREKK is primarily targeting outdoor enthusiasts — hikers and campers who need a lightweight backup charger to power their gadgets off the grid. SiGNa sees a lot more applications for the technology, though. It hopes business travelers, emergency/disaster relief workers and the military will adopt fuel cell chargers. To increase the technology’s appeal, SiGNa is developing higher-capacity, portable fuel cells as well as solutions suited for outdoor power equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Lefenfeld says SiGNa will announce additional partnerships in the spring and early summer of 2012.
Eventually, SiGNa would like to see its fuel cell technology embedded directly into devices. Lefenfeld says that will take time, in part because gadget makers grew skeptical of fuel cells after earlier hype failed to produce viable commercial products. “A lot of [those companies] spent a lot of money on this years ago,” says Lefenfeld. “They want to see something hit the market before they go back to the well.”
Despite those disappointments, Lefenfeld says he sees renewed interest in fuel cells. As evidence, he cites the late November acquisition of portable fuel cell maker Angstrom Power by a Canadian subsidiary of BIC Group and Apple’s patents, which were filed in 2010 and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week
One Apple patent relates to embedded fuel cells and one to external rechargers. Though the recharger idea is similar to POWERTREKK, Lefenfeld contends that the patents and the attention they have attracted are positive for SiGNa and the industry in general. “We want to see big players coming back to the market,” he says. “Throughout the 2000′s, lots of people got excited about fuel cell power but then dumped the business.”
There’s another reason Lefenfeld is heartened by the Apple patents: SiGNa now sees the iPhone and iPad maker as a potential customer. “We want to be a supplier to them,” he adds. “They’re the partner everyone wants to have.”
Shared by E3wise
CES Preview: Fuel Cells Coming To Gadgets, Finally
Elizabeth Woyke 12/30/2011 @ 2:40PM |4,207 views
Fuel cells for consumer electronics are one of those technologies that always seem poised for mainstream adoption but never quite make it. A New York-based chemicals company says that will finally change in 2012 with the release of a portable fuel cell charger that can power up cellphones and other mobile devices. Two recently published patent applications also indicate that Apple is investigating similar technology for its portable computing devices. That could prompt other gadget makers to adopt fuel cell charging.
The soon-to-be-released portable charger, called POWERTREKK, is slated to debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January and go on sale in Europe in early 2012 and in the U.S. in the spring. Prices have not yet been determined but Michael Lefenfeld, Chief Executive of SiGNa Chemistry, which designed the cartridges in POWERTREKK’s fuel cells, says the fuel cells will cost less than a 4-pack of AA batteries. (POWERTREKK is manufactured and distributed by a Swedish company called myFC.)
POWERTREKK is a hybridized fuel cell system, meaning it recharges gadgets’ existing batteries rather than replaces them. It consists of a 5 watt-hour battery cartridge and replaceable 3-5 watt fuel packs, each of which should produce enough energy to charge an iPhone at least once. Lefenfeld says POWERTREKK can also charge other kinds of cellphones, digital cameras, GPS devices and some tablets. It connects to the gadgets via USB or mini-USB connectors.
This type of charger has been years in the making. Companies including Motorola and Duracell spent millions researching fuel cells for gadgets before shuttering their research initiatives, says Lefenfeld. Other companies also pursued the technology only to give up in the mid to late 2000s, he says. POWERTREKK itself took nearly two years to develop; SiGNa has been working with myFC on the product since early 2010.
Fuel cells have been successfully applied to machines like indoor forklifts, where they replace propane and gasoline. But shrinking fuel cells to be truly portable was challenging since hydrogen gas is particularly tricky to store. “The chemical solutions in the past all stored hydrogen,” explains Lefenfeld. “You’d need a thick, steel, pressurized container to store it.”
SiGNa’s solution is to use sodium silicide, which doesn’t store hydrogen but reacts with any kind of water (salt, sea, even polluted water) to create hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell to produce electricity that can be transmitted to gadgets through cords. “Add water, you get hydrogen; turn off [the water], you get nothing,” says Lefenfeld.
The need for a fuel cell makes the system bulkier than a regular, battery-powered external charger. Lefenfeld says consumers may opt for fuel cell chargers, however, because they are lighter than battery-operated chargers, don’t discharge power or degrade over time and work quickly. (An iPhone should charge in an hour or hour and a half using POWERTREKK.) SiGNa also removed another longtime fuel cell hurdle by getting its setup approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which sets standards for electrical and electronic technology. That will enable users to bring the POWERTREKK onto planes.
As its name indicates, POWERTREKK is primarily targeting outdoor enthusiasts — hikers and campers who need a lightweight backup charger to power their gadgets off the grid. SiGNa sees a lot more applications for the technology, though. It hopes business travelers, emergency/disaster relief workers and the military will adopt fuel cell chargers. To increase the technology’s appeal, SiGNa is developing higher-capacity, portable fuel cells as well as solutions suited for outdoor power equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Lefenfeld says SiGNa will announce additional partnerships in the spring and early summer of 2012.
Eventually, SiGNa would like to see its fuel cell technology embedded directly into devices. Lefenfeld says that will take time, in part because gadget makers grew skeptical of fuel cells after earlier hype failed to produce viable commercial products. “A lot of [those companies] spent a lot of money on this years ago,” says Lefenfeld. “They want to see something hit the market before they go back to the well.”
Despite those disappointments, Lefenfeld says he sees renewed interest in fuel cells. As evidence, he cites the late November acquisition of portable fuel cell maker Angstrom Power by a Canadian subsidiary of BIC Group and Apple’s patents, which were filed in 2010 and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week
One Apple patent relates to embedded fuel cells and one to external rechargers. Though the recharger idea is similar to POWERTREKK, Lefenfeld contends that the patents and the attention they have attracted are positive for SiGNa and the industry in general. “We want to see big players coming back to the market,” he says. “Throughout the 2000′s, lots of people got excited about fuel cell power but then dumped the business.”
There’s another reason Lefenfeld is heartened by the Apple patents: SiGNa now sees the iPhone and iPad maker as a potential customer. “We want to be a supplier to them,” he adds. “They’re the partner everyone wants to have.”
Shared by E3wise
#10
Posted 05 January 2012 - 03:38 PM
jasserEnv, on 05 January 2012 - 11:42 AM, said:
Recharging will be a fill up canister of some sort. I have heard that some fuel cells can use butane for example so something like those small canisters used to recharge lighters would likely be the answer. However, there would likely be problems in getting these containers on planes so it will be interesting.
Umm, you'll forgive me for being somewhat pessimistic but is it REALLY a good idea to start handing out butane cylinders to Apple users? I mean, they have enough trouble with more than one mouse button: flammable gas is just a bad idea.
#12
Posted 05 January 2012 - 05:26 PM
SpikeTheLobster, on 05 January 2012 - 03:38 PM, said:
Umm, you'll forgive me for being somewhat pessimistic but is it REALLY a good idea to start handing out butane cylinders to Apple users? I mean, they have enough trouble with more than one mouse button: flammable gas is just a bad idea.
Haha this made me laugh.
Honestly though I figure the way it gets around TSA is a new rule. YOu can 'declare' your fuel cells, check them with tSA to be put on the plane for you and then given to you once you land.
#13
Posted 06 January 2012 - 11:25 AM
E3 wise, on 05 January 2012 - 03:51 PM, said:
Most of the applications do not use gaseous hydrogen but chemical reactions with water.
Reading one that you linked to, looks like sodium silicide is reacted with water to produce hydrogen and sodium silicate.
I imagine TSA would have reservations about allowing sizable amounts of the stuff on airplanes. Dump some of the sodium silicide in the airliner toilet, get a bunch of hydrogen produced in a little while. Strike a match.......
Probably will have to declare with TSA.
#14
Posted 06 January 2012 - 08:52 PM
MIght be something where you can 'rent' a battery refueler thing in airports? So that you rent it when you get into town,, purchase the fuel and then turn it back in before you get on the plane? Perhaps this will create an entire new industry for our country?
#15
Posted 06 January 2012 - 10:07 PM
MakingCents, on 04 January 2012 - 08:55 PM, said:
I wonder what this will do to the cost of these devices? Will this be a more expensive or cheaper form of production. I suppose even if it costs them less in the long run to produce they can market it as 'new technology' and charge us double.
I also think that the first release or market introduction of these kind of products are most likely to be more expensive if not the most expensive. Sine a lot of those who likes to have new technology, those who are curious and those who prefer a lot "greener" products are willing to spend a lot for it. And then eventually will get cheaper as more and more will have it.
#17
Posted 07 January 2012 - 08:34 PM
Seems to me like this might be a better technology for desktop computers, like run them on a hydrogen powered battery rather than electricty? Or even a technology that could go to other battery powered, or electric devices. Not sure if it will be widely accepted for these portable type devices.
#18
Posted 08 January 2012 - 08:33 AM
You know when I first posted this story I never thought it would get so much attention. Its probably because Apple is involved. My point was to show that Hydrogen was finally being taken seriously as a source for recharging electronics, which is something we have been seeing in development for almost ten years now.
The thing most people keep fixating about is TSA and Airplanes. I am going to say this one more time and then let it go. Of the five companies developing Hydrogen recharging systems 2 already have received TSA approval. The reason is that you add water to a sealed system and it produces a very small amount of hydrogen which then charges the device.
IT IS ELECTROCHEMICAL- NONCOMBUSTABLE I don’t know how to make it any clearer. Also most people using the technology on an everyday basis probably are not flying, but if they are they can check it if not TSA approved, just like their lotion and cupcakes.
The thing most people keep fixating about is TSA and Airplanes. I am going to say this one more time and then let it go. Of the five companies developing Hydrogen recharging systems 2 already have received TSA approval. The reason is that you add water to a sealed system and it produces a very small amount of hydrogen which then charges the device.
IT IS ELECTROCHEMICAL- NONCOMBUSTABLE I don’t know how to make it any clearer. Also most people using the technology on an everyday basis probably are not flying, but if they are they can check it if not TSA approved, just like their lotion and cupcakes.
#19
Posted 08 January 2012 - 02:38 PM
I think the TSA thing is this- not that it's combustible but that you can only have liquid in containers or 3 oz or less. The questions to ask is; how much liquid would a typical re-charge take? how long does a charge last? For instance, if a typical recharge takes 5 ounces of liquid and a battery lasts 6 hours, A business man on a 4 hour flight with a 2 hour layouver and another 4 hour flight might have a problem where his battery runs out and he can't recharge because he had to check it.
I'm glad the technology is moving forward, just raising quesitons most consumers probably will.
I'm glad the technology is moving forward, just raising quesitons most consumers probably will.
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