$199 Hydrogen Fuel Cell For USB Devices Now Available

Astronauts have been using hydrogen fuel cells for decades and the technology is slowly working its way into our daily lives as one possible future for powering electric vehicles. So what about all the other devices in our lives such as smartphones, tablets, handheld gaming devices, wearable tech and all the other stuff we forever seem to be charging on a daily basis?

Intelligent Energy thinks they have one solution to keeping your devices powered on those occasions when your battery life is running low and your not within shouting distance of a usable plug socket. The device known as the “Upp” weighs just 500 grams, costs $199 and packs a hydrogen fuel cell system that can charge your mobile devices just like any other USB charger.

However, instead of plugging it into a wall to replenish the cell you insert a cartridge of hydrogen. The makers say a single cartridge will pack enough punch to charge your average smartphone five times, and that a special app will trigger the delivery of a new cartridge when yours is running low.

This might be a tad excessive for city dwelling use, but having a pack of hydrogen cells with you when you are a very long way from a plug socket, such as up a mountain, in a desert or any kind of wild adventure could a truly life saving thing to have.

Thank you Engadget for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of Engadget.