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Fuel cells outlast batteries in cellphones
by Gillian Shaw, Vancouver Sun
January 17, 2008. If Angstrom Power has its way, by the time the Olympics arrive in Vancouver you'll be able to recharge your cellphone with a shot of hydrogen at your local coffee shop when you stop by for your jolt of java.
The North Vancouver company unveiled "micro hydrogen" fuel cells recently that are promising to be the new Energizer bunnies for cellphones and handheld devices.
Angstrom installed its micro hydrogen platform in Motorola cellphones and recently announced results from a six-month trial. The hydrogen fuel cells blasted past lithium ion batteries used in conventional cellphones, delivering double the run time with a full recharge taking a mere 10 minutes.
Anna Stukas, manager of regulatory affairs and intellectual property for Angstrom Power, shows a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered cellphone. A grille on the back lets in oxygen to mix with hydrogen, producing power.
Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun
"We have demonstrated double the talk time and we have also demonstrated the capability for fast refueling," chief executive officer Paul Zimmerman said in an interview.
Zimmerman said the company is working with 20 of the world's leading companies in the area, including device makers, those specializing in mobile energy and infrastructure and mobile service providers.
Commercial prototypes are planned for 2009 with the product launch anticipated for 2010.
"We would love to have the gold medallist calling home on a hydrogen-powered phone," Zimmerman said.
At home or in the office, the fuel cells could recharge on a desktop refueling device, similar to plugging a BlackBerry into the wall or charging an electronic device on a cradle. Angstrom also sees a future where consumers who are increasingly reliant on a growing number of services that come with their cellphones and other handheld communications devices will be able to refuel their micro hydrogen cells on the go.
"It's very small, the size of a telephone or a coffee maker," Zimmerman said of the recharger. "You would dock it just like a docking station and you would refill your hydrogen supply.
"You'd also be able to grab quick amounts of energy when you are at the coffee shop, at the subway station or in the mall."
Zimmerman envisions the creation of a hydrogen version of hotspots, along the lines of the wireless hotspots that spread slowly at first, but later gained momentum. Now wireless connectivity is everywhere from coffee shops to classrooms.
"Today, compressed hydrogen is shipped for industrial purposes," Zimmerman said. "It would be quite simple to tap into that supply chain and provide refueling at kiosks at Starbucks or at the mall."
It's a clean-tech application that has captured the interest of venture capitalists who see the prospect of using fuel cells in cellphones and other electronic devices as a more achievable goal than the long-awaited and hugely expensive task of getting cars to run on hydrogen fuel cells.
They have been fueling Angstrom's development with their venture dollars and while the exact amounts of the private investments haven't been disclosed, the last round announced was $18 million US in August 2006.
Angstrom expects no problems in completing its next round of financing that has just begun.
While Zimmerman said it is too early to talk about cost of the new cellphone power source, he said it should be comparable to lithium ion batteries.
The company is targeting heavy users, the top 10 per cent of cellphone users who by 2013 could account for 200 million to 300 million devices annually out of a market of two to three billion devices over all.
The company, which has office and lab space in North Vancouver, has 50 employees with that number expected to increase to 100 over the next two years.
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