Toshiba have launched a limited run of 3000 units of their Methanol Fuel Cell Charger called the Dynario. The charger uses a single 14ml refill of methanol that is able to start charging gadgets within just 20 seconds. A single shot of methanol is able to completely charge two mobile phones.

The Dynario charger runs on a mixture of methanol and atmospheric oxygen, where the chemical reaction between the two in the fuel cell produces electricity. The methanol solution is a concentrated solution that helps to keep the size of the fuel cell to a minimum. Toshiba is cautiously testing the market with just 3000 units, which are only available from Shop1048 in Japan.

The Dynario chargers are selling for around $330 USD, and replacement methanol fuel packs are available for around $6 USD each. There are no immediate plans for worldwide availability, but the test run will probably go very well. I’d expect worldwide availability within 2 years.

Source: Toshiba

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MTI Micro has announced the release of its portable fuel cell charger for gadgets like MP3 players and digital cameras. The new aspect of this charger is that the fuel cell is a removable cartridge, which can be re-filled by an authorised refilling centre. Each cartridge gives the user 25W hours of power, typically translating to 25 hours of charge time.

The 25Wh translates to fully charging a mobile phone over 10 times, play 10,000 songs, or watch over 100 hours of video on the popular MP3 and media players (erm, iPod probably). If used to charge up a digital camera, the user can take up to 6000 pictures on a high end professional digital camera, based on a single charge of the fuel cell.

Since the cartridge is removable, you can change to a new fuel cell when its convenient to you, rather than taking the whole powerpack to be refueled. MTI Micro consider the idea to be unique, but I saw hydrogen fuel cells with user-removable cartridges on a production model (v.s. a prototype) about 2 years ago!

The core of the charger is a proprietary third generation Mobion Chip, which uses advanced technology and methanol fuel to allow the charger to be used in a range of operating temperatures and humidity levels. Rather oddly, it doesn’t have a standard USB socket, which means you’ll need a special adaptor to get it to work with your USB devices. Lots of advanced stuff, none of the consumability stuff though!

Source: GoodCleanTech

Want to buy this gadget? Check out the Fuel Cell Charger with Swappable Cartridge article on EnviroGadget to see the lowest prices for this gadget.

© 2008 to 2011 EnviroGadget.com. You can now keep up with the latest eco-gadgets on the EnviroGadget Facebook page. Why not help us to spread the word?

Related posts:

1. Toshiba Dynario Methanol Fuel Cell Charger
2. The Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kit
3. Fuel Cell Projects for the Evil Genius