By David Pescovitz
Cellular-phone batteries are the Achilles' heel of any road warrior. Former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Robert Hockaday (left) recently received US$1 million from Manhattan Scientifics to continue his development of tiny fuel cells that would replace batteries and give phones 100 hours of talk time.
Hockaday's Micro Fuel Cells create energy by splitting hydrogen atoms (extracted from methanol) into protons and electrons, which are used to generate electricity. Priced around $100, the fuel cells would be costlier than nicad batteries but pack far more energy per pound. "The portable telecom market is hungry for products that will extend the mobility of its systems," says Bob Rose, executive director of Fuel Cells 2000, a nonprofit advocacy group. "Though several companies are pursuing this market, you have to take the Los Alamos group very seriously because of its pedigree and long history with fuel-cell research."
ELECTRIC WORD
Batteries Not Required
