Casio develops tiny fuel cell

THE WORLD'S SMALLEST fuel cell has been developed by Casio Computer Co, which will be marketed in 2007.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun says the polymer electrolyte fuel cell has been shrunk to almost the size of a regular lithium ion battery. Its capacity is close to four times higher than a normal battery, and is able to power a laptop PC for 8 to 16 hours. The cell is being developed for both automobiles and home appliances.

A device which extracts hydrogen from methanol and sends hydrogen to the main fuel cell is included in the unit. A university professor has made the device tiny, so the unit can fit inside a laptop.

Methanol is a highly flammable substance, so manufacturers using liquid methanol are forced to be extra careful - as well as customers using the new cell with their laptops. Taking your laptop onto a plane may become risky. Also, you drink methanol at your peril.

Government regulators such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, are thinking about deregulation as soon as 2007, so fuel cells will come into wide use - this is when Casio will be releasing its fuel cell. µ