Samsung touts fuel cell powered laptop

Electronics giant rumoured to be preparing fuel cell powered laptop for end of the year

Samsung is poised to launch a new fuel cell powered lap top by the end of the year, according to industry reports last week.

The Direct Methanol Fuel Cell will be integrated into a docking station for Samsung's Q35 ultraportable laptop and promises to deliver power eight hours a day, five days a week for a month.

BusinessGreen's sister site, The Inquirer, also reported that Samsung is working on miniature portable version that can deliver 15 hours worth of power "on a coffee cup's worth of fuel".

Samsung said that the 1,200 watt/hour cell delivers energy density four times better than that of its competitors.

Leading laptop manufacturers, including Samsung rival IBM, are investing heavily in developing fuel cell technologies that not only promise longer life spans than traditional lithium ion batteries but are also more environmentally friendly. Advocates of fuel cells argue they are carbon neutral as the fuel comes from plant matter and are far easier to dispose of as they do not have the toxic chemicals found in batteries.