Methanol fuel cell powers ruggedized computers

XX25 powers a MiTAC V100 rugged laptop.

(Credit: UltraCell)

A California company has introduced a 25-watt mobile fuel cell system designed to power a ruggedized laptop computer for up to 14 hours at a time using a single 250cc cartridge.

The XX25, as it is called, internally generates fuel cell-ready hydrogen from a highly concentrated methanol solution, providing power to a field computer and communications equipment at weight savings of up to 65 percent, according to Livermore, Calif.-based UltraCell.

(Credit: UltraCell)

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, and continue to produce it as long as the fuel lasts. This is not only ecologically correct, but it also weighs less. The company calculates that on a typical 72-hour mission, each soldier requires 27 pounds of rechargeable military batteries.

The Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) and DARPA (PDF) have extended UltraCell's development contract so that tests can continue. A year ago, CERDEC deemed the 25-watt model safe enough to be worn by soldiers in the field and used to power portable devices, a first for this type of fuel cell.

Correction: The average soldier, or really any soldier, does NOT carry 27 lbs of batteries over a 72 hour mission. This fallacy of soldiers carrying 20-30lbs on a 4-5 day mission is complete fabricated BS that stems from three places: Landwarrior load metrics (which NOBODY carries dismounted for four days to date), DARPA who knowns basically nothing about what goes on in combat, and Jane's Defense which published an analyst report claiming this kind of number. Except that Jane's used a weight of 0.375 lbs per AA battery. Correcting for Jane's math mistake, their soldier who allegedly carried 35 lbs carried less the 5 lbs.

It's time to stop these BS numbers. Even an Echo with a PSC-5 (or 117F), and MBITR (152), and NODS, and PEQ-2/other variant, and COTS GPS does not carry 27 lbs on a 72 hour mission. And that's assuming the guy's a complete jerk and no one is cross loading his spares.

Am tired of this ridiculous weight metric thrown around to justify funding of fuel cell programs when real methods to reduce the actual soldier load (average soldier carries less than TWO lbs on long dismounted missions, refer to Afghan study by LTC Dean) get overlooked.

Not saying fuel cells are a bad idea for niche operational needs at all, like remote OPs with laptops for image upload. Just saying that selling them as the solution to soldier load problems is a hoodwink job perpetuated by people who can't pull out a calculator and add up battery loads.

If Ultracell is really telling people that the average soldier carries 27 lbs of batteries for a 72 hour mission, they are either liars, idiots, or both. Shame on them.