Apple getting closer to fuel cell powered laptop

AppleInsider has dug up and published a report on two patents filed by Apple regarding powering portable computer devices with hydrogen fuel cells. In the patent Apple talks about the need to find alternative methods of power and also making them sustainable modes of power. They also mentioned the unstable relationships with the governments in the Middle East and the hazards of off shore drilling especially to those who live on the coastline. The method is proposed as alternative that will finally signal the beginning of a different source of power altogether.

The patent also mentions the efforts of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool or EPEAT for increasing the awareness amongst consumers about the environmental impact of electronic products. Apple frequently includes the EPEAT rating of their products in their descriptions and specifications and especially at high profile keynote events.

The conclusion drawn on both patent documents says that this heightened awareness amongst consumers is what is driving electronics manufacturers to look in to alternative and renewable sources of energy. Hydrogen is one such source that is used to generate power within hydrogen fuel cells. And of course, it is absolutely one of the most futuristic things that could happen to our laptops right now. Right now the widest use of fuel cells are in Sci Fi games and movies. Even though these cells actually do exist in real life, they have not been taken to commercially viable states where they can become a system wide replacement for things like batteries and mainstream fuel like gasoline.

In the patents, the device that is powered by the fuel cell can operate for days, even weeks before it needs a recharge or refueling in this case. Great as that sounds, Apple has also noted that the problem is to create a fuel cell that is portable and cost-effective enough to fulfill the needs of this idea.

As a solution, Apple has presented the idea of a fuel cell that can both supply power and receive power from a rechargeable battery found inside something like a MacBook. By doing this, the company seeks to eliminate the need to include a bulk and heavy battery inside the fuel cell itself, thereby slimming it down over all and reducing the cost of production. According to the patent the cell system includes a fuel stack that coverts fuel (hydrogen) in to electricity. There’s also a controller that controls the whole process.

This is not the first time that Apple has shown their interest in fuel cells. It was only a few months back in October when AppleInsider had mentioned a patent from Apple talking about ways of making lighter and more efficient fuel cells. So it looks like Apple is actually hard at work on advanced hydrogen fuel cell technology in some secret part of the Infinite Loop compound.