Spirited talk
A new methanol fuel cell for use in mobile phones will allow 3G handset users up to eight hours of continuous talk time, its Japanese developers said this week.
A new methanol fuel cell for use in mobile phones will allow 3G handset users up to eight hours of continuous talk time, its Japanese developers said this week. The power system has been developed jointly by telecoms firm NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu Laboratories.
NTT DoCoMo first unveiled a prototype micro-fuel cell using methanol as an inexpensive source of power last year. This was designed to meet user demands for handsets with greater power capacity but reduced environmental impact.
The new design is aimed at users of 3G FOMA handsets, and has three times the energy capacity of the early prototype while weighing exactly the same: 190g.
The fuel cell’s life has been extended by increasing the methanol concentration from 30 per cent to more than 99 per cent. This enables the prototype device to charge up to three FOMA handset batteries with just 18 cubic centilitres of methanol.
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