Peronal fuel cell powers gadgets with water

Posted by Emma Woollacott


Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies claims its MiniPak can provide as much power as 1,000 disposable AA alkaline batteries over the lifetime of a single refillable cartridge.

The MiniPak delivers 1.5 to 2W of continuous power via a standard USB port, and uses refillable fuel cartridges to store up to 12Wh of net energy.

It can charge small portable devices such as cellphones, MP3/MP4 players and GPS, and also free up USB applications normally connected powered by PCs.

It's a bit of a stealth product, says founder and chief marketing officer Taras Wankewycz, as the company started developing its fuel cell technology for the toy market.


The Minipak is effectively a miniature power plant that produces electricity directly from hydrogen at the point of use.

It uses a combination of Horizon’s mass-produced PEM fuel cells and a new low-cost metal hydride storage solution, which stores hydrogen safely as a dry, non-toxic and non-pressurized material.



At the moment, the device costs $99, but the company reckons it can get this down to just $29 once it ramps up production. Extra fuel cartridges will cost much the same as disposable alkaline batteries, it says.

Several other products are under development, says Horizon, which is also scaling up the size of its solutions.