Third Gen Mobion Chip is 25% More Efficient, That Much Closer to Fuel Cell Powered Gadgets
by Jaymi Heimbuch, Central Coast, California on 09.19.08
Photo Credit: MTI Micro
MTI Micro is one of the leaders of off-grid power solutions, and the newest generation of their direct methanol fuel cell engine core, the Mobion Chip, shows a 25% power performance improvement and a 25% size reduction. Translation: We’re that much closer to going cordless for mobile devices.
The Mobion MicroFuel Cells use methanol cartridges for energy. The newest version of the Mobion Chip produces over 1800 watt hours per kilogram of energy from the methanol fuel feed. In other words – it gets a whole lot of output form the energy source. It even has the potential of being longer lasting than Li-Ion batteries. Plus, it’s quite a bit smaller than previous incarnations, making it more suited to the increasingly smaller hand-held devices we all tote around.
MTI Micro wants to provide gadget owners the ability to charge their devices cordlessly, and these improvements get them that much closer to fulfilling their goal, and gets us that much closer to fuel cell powered doo-dads.
Via Press Release
More on Fuel Cells:
TreeHugger Picks: Fuel Cell Concepts for Laptops
Juicing Up Your Cell Phone with Microbial Fuel Cells
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Five Ways to Make Money with Green Technology
- ZPowerpac Portable Fuel Cell Chargers - The Next Big Thing?
- HP Trading Cash for Old Gadgets
- Dongtan, China's Flagship Ecocity Project, R.I.P.
Video: Jay Leno Talks with Zero X Electric Motorcycle Inventor
|
Maggie Gyllenhaal Wants Your Video on Climate Change - Win $3000!
|
Talk about short on details, even the link leaves dozens of important questions.
How many Methanol cartridges did they go through to get these results?
How long did each cartridge last?
After you have drained a Methanol cartridge what do you do with it? It will be full of water and CO2.
The beauty of the Lithium Ion battery is that you can recharge it without carrying around handfuls of cartridges to slip in and out.
I'm less than impressed by this.
Look up the energy content of a kg of methanol; if they are getting 1800 watt hours/kg out of it, then the conversion process is only 33% efficient (not much better than your car using gasoline now), and that doesn't include the process of making methanol. A battery weighs more for the same amount of energy, and takes longer to recharge, but if you're looking for efficiency, then these cartridges are indefensible.