MTI (News - Alert) MicroFuel Cells Inc. has achieved 2,700 hours of continuous operation with the building block of the company’s Mobion chip and systems, the Mobion laboratory cell. The company has stated that a typical power cell marketed in the U.S. translates to only 1,200 hours of use.

 

MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. is a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology, Incorporated. They are the developers of Mobion off-the-grid portable power solutions. MTI Micro has a proprietary direct methanol micro fuel cell power system and a number of system prototypes demonstrating size reductions and performance improvements; and related intellectual property.

 

The report from the company states that tests conducted on direct methanol micro fuel cells show degradation of up to 35 percent after only 360 hours of operation. In addition to the 2,700 hours of continuous run-time Mobion showed power degradation of less than 15 percent.

 

“Our test results are a clear indication of the technical progress we have made on performance metrics including life, degradation, temperature, and humidity levels which are required to bring products to market in the consumer electronics industry. To our knowledge, there are no other published results that match ours,” said Jim Prueitt, vice president of engineering and operations at MTI Micro. “With these results, we believe we continue to be a leader in the micro fuel cell industry as we work toward the commercialization of our Mobion power sources.”

 

“In less than a year, we have been chosen by three consumer electronic OEMs who are striving to meet the needs of consumers who want a longer lasting and more reliable power source,” said Peng Lim, chairman and CEO of MTI. “We believe these results show our technological leadership and our future ability to help OEMs meet those needs with our Mobion technology.”

 

With these latest test results, MTI Micro is also in line with targets set by the Department of Energy in a recent funding opportunity announcement which required fuel cells under 50 Watts to have a life test of at least 2000 hours.

 

Power degradation in a lithium ion battery can be about 50 percent of their charging capacity after two years, says a Frost Sullivan study. Users will find the need to charge their power cells often as they become old and also be more conscious of saving power.

 

MTI states they have looked into this and are soon going to provide Mobion portable power products for applications including cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players and other handheld electronic devices.