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"Neither Antig nor AVC stated what the fuel-cell module would cost, nor offered any plan for consumers to refill them, however. Both companies are based in Taiwan, and company representatives were unavailable for comment. "
well, they'd better come up with a way to refill these or 8 hours and you're done -- for good. And they still need to answer what people are supposed to do when you get on a plane, I don't think airlines will be too thrilled to allow people to take large amounts of methane onboard a plane, hmmm.
Actually that is the news I was waiting for a long time. Thanks ceiph! Great technology.
And just to correct you guys - it is
methanol! Not
methane. If I remember right from my high school curriculum (long ago that was):
Methane is the simplest organic molecule with one carbon that has 4 bonds to 4 hydrogen atoms (that has one bond each). The formula is CH4. It is in a shape of a tetrahedron (three-side pyramid with all sides the same) It is a gas in normal conditions and is very flammable. Did you hear about explosions in mines? That is methane. In nature can be produced by living organisms usually in decay of a organic material. It is very reactive - it can react with the most of the other organic and anorganic molecules and is very common in nature (sometimes only as a methane-group CH3 that bonds on many other molecules). It likes oxigen - boom! It ends up in CO2 and Water (H2O).
Methanol is the simplest alcohol - meaning that has at least one -OH group. Now take that methane, and substitute one -H with one -O-H and you get CH3OH or H3COH to be correct. It is very poisonous, and can make you blind. But it is liquid and can be handled with ease. Although also very flammable, it is easier to make containers that will hold it. It is very good polar (not cold but in the electrostatic sense) solvent. Also likes oxigen - woosh! CO2 and Water. Clean fuel!
So hopefully they will not allow methane in pressurized containers, but maybe they will allow methanol? Although I expect them to ban every flammable thing on board the plane.
impracticality being reason number 1 for that. hauling around large amounts of lead shielding would suck.
3.7 lbs for a fuel cell? lot of weight to add when the idea would seem to be extended mobility. And since fuel cells contain precious metals, I can't imagine the cells being trashed after one use.
These might make sense for a company with a large number of laptops used on location but not carried around all day (automotive testing for example). they would have a station for refilling them all at night, and save costs over many batteries. Does not seem to be something too useful to the average user yet though.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
