Fuel cell for mobile phones

The Dynario is Toshiba's first direct methanol fuel cell product and will be available to Japanese consumers from October 29. The technology, described as a 'revolution in portable power sources', uses a chemical reaction caused when methanol and ambient oxygen are mixed to produce electricity. A fuel feed structure realises uniform methanol delivery and stable output to any attached device is fine tuned by a built in microcomputer. Performance is optimised by the Dynario's hybrid structure, which uses a lithium-ion battery charged by the fuel cell to store electricity. Connecting to any portable consumer electronics product or mobile phone via a USB lead gives a near instant power top up. On a single refill of methanol, Toshiba says the Dynario can generate enough power to charge two mobile phones.