Fuel cells for notebook computers to arrive next year

TWO US FIRMS have signed a deal which means we may see micro fuel cell systems for notebook computers as early as 2004.

MTI Microfuel Cells and Intermec Technologies said they will work together to both develop and market products to power handheld mobile computers and peripherals.

The technology will use direct methanol micro fiel cell power systems and they are likely to appear in Intermec products next year.

The fuel cells create electrical power using a chemical reaction of methanol fuel with a catalyst. The firms claim that when the products are developed, the fuel cells will give considerably more life to handheld PCs than using the current technology.

The firms said that when the fuel cells are completely productised, they will be able to fire up notebooks, mobile phones, PDAs and other portable electronics devices. µ