Fuel for doubt
Battery manufacturers see fuel cells, though, as a distant solution. "These technologies are years away, and they're complicated," says James Kaschmitter, CEO of PolyStor, which makes rechargeable batteries for cell phones. "I'm not saying it can't be done, but there are issues like reliability and safety. With liquid methanol, you've got a canister of highly explosive fluid that could blow up."
Motorola Labs' Hallmark agrees that safety is a legitimate issue, noting that current airline regulations forbid methanol to be carried by passengers, although that is being addressed. And Manhattan Scientifics is experimenting with an alternative fuel, sodium boro hydride, which Maslow says is consumer-friendly and more powerful than methanol.
Kaschmitter also points out that batteries will continue to improve. But Atakan Ozbek, senior energy analyst with Allied Business Intelligence, notes that they haven't been improving at the same rate as fuel cells. "3G technologies [which facilitate mobile data transmission] will require at least 50 percent more power from a device," he says. "Batteries by their nature have upper limits in efficiency. By definition, fuel cells can push further and more quickly."
"You have to have reliable power and efficiency," says Ozbek. "If you can't get these devices reliably powered, you can't beat the barriers in the market. That's why fuel cells are so important."
