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 | IBM shows off fuel cell with mobile potential |  |
A joint venture with Sanyo has resulted in a hybrid battery and fuel cell system that works for laptops and could find its way into phones
IBM and Sanyo have put together a prototype of a fuel cell system for ThinkPad notebooks.
The methanol-based fuel cell is designed to work with most standard ThinkPad systems and could provide power for up to eight hours, the companies said Monday.
The new battery does not require any change in the internal power architecture of the ThinkPad. The fuel cell can be charged by means of an auxiliary docking station, which also provides an alternative power supply.
Technology companies are working on fuel cells as a way to enhance the battery life of mobile devices such as notebooks, MP3 players and mobile phones. Unlike traditional batteries, fuel cells usually use alcohol or hydrogen as fuel and can offer five to 10 times the power-per-unit weight as lithium-ion batteries. Fuel cells are also being looked at as power sources for automobiles.
"This is quite a new concept that utilises both micro fuel cells and rechargeable batteries," Mitsuru Homma, group executive of power solutions at Sanyo, said in a statement. "This hybrid system could enable the user to efficiently operate IBM's ThinkPad notebooks for a longer time compared to systems with only a fuel cell, while also providing the convenience of an AC cordless environment."
IBM's ThinkPad and other PC operations are to be transferred to the control of Lenovo Group during the second quarter. IBM agreed to sell its PC business to Lenovo in December.
Hybrid Design
The prototype system also contains a slim lithium ion polymer battery, which is built into the base of the unit under the notebook PC, and which is charged by the fuel cell even as the fuel supplies power to the PC. While the fuel cell by itself supplies a maximum of 12 watts of power, the combination of the fuel cell with the polymer battery can supply a maximum of 72 watts--enough to meet the peak power demands of high-end ThinkPads, Homma said.
Sanyo and IBM call this combination of fuel cell plus battery a hybrid design. They have adopted this approach to overcome DMFC technology's lack of power, the companies said.
Prototypes announced by other Japanese electronics companies generate between 10 watts and 20 watts of power, and developers at these companies are improving designs so that future DMFCs can produce up to about 30 watts. However, this is still not enough to meet peak power needs of notebook computers running many applications, according to Sanyo.
For more information news.zdnet.co.uk |
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