- 12 June 2006 -

Fuel cells for cellphones coming?

Though this magazine is mainly concerned with the semiconductor components that make up today's phones, the non-semiconductor ones are no less important. No OEM can ignore developments in the batteries that power such portable equipment. Talk-time is crucial. Chip designers are running out of options for power saving and attention is turning to alternative power sources and fuel cells look the most promising.

Last issue, the interview with SiGe Semiconductor confirmed that battery technology has not really kept up with the pace of change on the chip side. This is, to some extent, attributable to the fact that chip companies and battery makers are entirely separate. Nonetheless, when adding new functions like GPS, a little more latitude from the battery would be most welcome. Perhaps a change is around the corner some industry observers reckon. Certainly it looks that way if the technical hurdles can be satisfactorily overcome. A new deal involving one of the biggest and brightest cellphone companies could turn out to be a watershed on the path to fuel cell powered mobiles.

MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc., developer of the award-winning Mobion micro fuel cell technology for handheld electronic devices has announced an exclusive alliance with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., to develop next-generation fuel cell prototypes for Samsung´s mobile phones. Mobion, MTI Micro´s patented direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology, has been chosen to power a series of prototypes designed for Samsung´s mobile phone and mobile phone accessories.

This represents the latest in a major new trend in the development of conventional battery power units for portable equipment. Not only could it revolutionise the cellphone business, but also it could become the biggest end-use market for this type of fuel cell. Frost & Sullivan estimates that Samsung is the third largest handset manufacturer in terms of units shipped in the market for mobiles worldwide. Furthermore, it forecasts the market for micro fuel cells for consumer electronic devices could reach 80m units by 2012. Hence the interest from fuel cell companies and growing concern from the makers of conventional power units.

Not a few companies, such as Motorola, Manhattan Scientifics, Ball Aerospace, the Fraunhofer Institute, as well as Samsung, have been very busy developing micro fuel cells for portables, but none have launched a real product. Toshiba has said commercial products such as a FC-powered MP3 player could arrive early next year. Its 300mW FC, about the size of a pack of playing cards, could power an MP3 player for 60 hours on a single charge. FCs are also of interest for notebook computers. IBM and SANYO Electric plan a prototype ‘micro direct’ methanol fuel cell system for IBM ThinkPad notebooks, for example.

MTI Micro considers its alliance with Samsung as a significant step towards direct methanol fuel cell commercialization. Consumer electronics are becoming increasingly power hungry and multi-functional, so conventional rechargeable batteries are challenged to provide the required runtime consumers demand today, let alone tomorrow. “Micro fuel cells are expected to provide the solution to this challenge," said Sara Bradford, Research Director, Power Systems Group, for Frost & Sullivan.

Due to its anticipated longer runtime and instant recharging advantages (compared with batteries in today’s mobile phones), Mobion is being designed as the power solution to allow future consumers to enjoy media-rich, power hungry mobile applications. Moreover, power units like Mobion could be essential if new features for future mobile phones are going to come into play. Ones that, until now, have been constrained by traditional battery power sources.

Together, the two companies will develop, test, and evaluate Mobion technology for various mobile phone applications. Samsung will put its resources into this joint effort which will help determine the best approach for powering the next-generation of feature-rich devices in the consumer electronics industry. Upon successful completion of this agreement, MTI Micro and Samsung intend to continue to work together by entering into a product commercialisation agreement.

MTI Micro´s strategy is not restricted to handsets, however. A DMFC power source is applicable to a wide range of portable consumer electronic devices, from digital cameras to mobile phones to handheld entertainment devices. MTI Micro has therefore focused on developing key partnerships in all aspects of its business, including materials, manufacturing, and distribution. The agreement with Samsung is preceded by an impressive list of alliances MTI Micro has established to create a world-class supply chain. With these relationships in place, MTI Micro is poised to advance Mobion as the key power source in the consumer electronics marketplace.

As the company points out, Samsung is one of the largest and most innovative mobile phone suppliers in the world. MTI Micro’s goal is to make Mobion a standard power source used for powering all types of mobile products. It has struck other key strategic deals in other sectors such as defence which could also help accelerate the cellphone adoption.
That said, fuel cells have become notorious for dashed hopes. Analysts have had to reconsider their forecasts,but even so the momentum would appear to undiminished in some quarters. Some obstacles have been removed such as laws prohibiting methanol in airliner cabins. The International Civil Aviation Organization changed the law to permit methanol fuel cells on international flights. There are other matters on the agenda such as settling on a standard for MFCs. Safety aside, thermal management of miniaturised power sources is a challenge and some clever engineering will be required to out-manoeuvre the laws of thermodynamics.

For more information, visit: www.mtimicrofuelcells.com