15 Jan 2013

Smartphone fuel cell power unit to hit US shops this Summer

US-based Lilliputian Systems, has announced its micro-fuel cell system - Nectar Mobile Power - will be available to buy in the US come the summer of this year.

Designed to replace lithium ion batteries in mobile devices and providing a lifetime of some two weeks, the system will be sold by US retailer Brookstone.

"Nectar is an absolute game-changing portable power product, and [we believe] it is the only solution that really addresses the challenge of keeping today's mobile devices powered," says Lilliputian CEO Ken Lazarus.

Manufactured in standard silicon wafer manufacturing facilities and based on a thin-film Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), the compact, lightweight and portable device powers and charges pretty much any consumer electronics device that complies with the USB 2.0 power standard.

The solid oxide fuel cell module provides 2.5W across the standard USB connection, using replaceable butane cartridges that each provide 55,000mW hours of energy. The average phone battery provides about 8 hours of use from 1500mWH.

According to the start-up, the device can keep consumer electronic devices running for at least two weeks by inserting the so-called Nectar Pod power cartridge into the mobile power system. Once the pod is depleted, the user attaches a new pod.

The system and cartridge are approved for carry-on and use aboard regular commercial aircraft.

“Currently consumers suffer from a form of ‘battery anxiety’ where they are either always hunting for a wall outlet or are concerned about running out of power midday,” said Mouli Ramani, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, at Lilliputian Systems. “With Nectar that anxiety is cured. It is literally like having a plug in your pocket.”

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