Another charging alternative

[allywatt]

A friend sent me this link, looks interesting...

http://www.gizmag.com/portable-butane-fuel-cell/22496/

[Danneaux]

Yes!

I've been following this one awhile, and it is good to see it coming closer to fruition.

Here's a four-year chronology of its development:
http://www.lilliputiansystemsinc.com/news.php

And an story based on a 2010 interview with a company principal:
http://www.lilliputiansystemsinc.com/news.php?id=10

A very promising fuel-cell example.

Best,

Dan.

[Aushiker]

Thanks for the heads-up on this. I hadn't heard of this before. It does look very promising. I assume it will be recharged from standard butane cartridges. Have I got that right?

Andrew

[Danneaux]

I assume it will be recharged from standard butane cartridges. Have I got that right?

Hi Andrew; welcome to the Thorn Cycling Forums!

I surely hope the cartridges used in the Lillipution Systems fuel-cell will be standard, but I have not yet seen any hard specs to confirm it. So many times, it seems manufacturers feel compelled to "go their own way" with proprietary designs (think: cell-phone chargers) with the idea it will make users captive. Instead, it tends to quell versatility and usefulness as well as competition, making ongoing costs higher than need be.

I'm really hoping this thing will use standard butane cartridges if/when it makes it to market. Life with the fuel cell would be so much easier and more convenient (and cheaper) if it does!

Best,

Dan.

[Aushiker]

Thanks Dan. I mentioned this device in the http://bushwalk.com forums and Franco there posted a photo of an earlier mock-up which shows some sort of "cartridge" so it may be a proprietary job. I guess it will come down to the economics of it.



Andrew