Fuel cell for consumers

MTI MicroFuel Cells is developing a micro fuel cell called Mobion that it's targeting for deployment into commercial products by 2009.

The Mobion fuel cell integrates a power module with fluid conditioning that allows the system to run in a wide environmental range including temperatures from 0C to 40C at any humidity level - an industry standard and a requirement of many OEMs who want to integrate fuel cells into their products.

The fuel cell is based on 100% methanol feed, passive, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology that the company believes will ultimately enable it to power portable devices longer than lithium-ion batteries, while also allowing for cord-free re-charging.

The injection moulded Mobion is presently being designed for high-volume mass manufacturing. In addition, MTI Micro´s team has continued integrating more functionality into the device while reducing its part count, ultimately achieving one moulded piece. The company has also reduced the size of the unit by over 40 per cent to 9cc (small enough to fit in the palm of a hand) from 16cc six months ago.