Kraftwerk fuel cell recharging system

[haven]

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...y-innovative-portable-power-plant/description

Kraftwerk has a Kickstarter program underway to fund the development of a pocket-size fuel cell. The fuel cell runs on natural gas. The source can be a gas canister for a camping stove or refillable lighter. The fuel cell puts out 5V, 2W continuous DC power through a USB port. One fill of gas can recharge a smart phone 11 times, according to the ad.

This may not make sense if you're traveling in a vehicle with an engine because you can recharge batteries while on the move. For cycling and hiking, it makes more sense.

 

[dwh]

Nice.

This bit is extremely interesting:

"Can kraftwerk be used to convert electrical power into gas?

No! While our fuel cell technology is able to do this. kraftwerk will not support this."


Able to? Hrmmm.

 

[evldave]

Thinking of supporting this... A few considerations:

5v, 2w is 0.4A...and my experience is that chargers usually output less than rated. On your fancy new smartphone, this will only slow the discharge, and will not be enough to use the phone and charge it at the same time. This charges at (best) 1/5 the rate of modern chargers. It does indicate a 10w temporary charge rate, but for how long?

This means it may not work fast enough to be used as a power source if you are planning to use your phone in the backcountry...even charging overnight while you sleep might not be enough for extended trips.

 

[CaliMobber]

Yea while it seems like a cool idea but it seems like a very low chargerate, be much happier with a $25 12000mah battery pack that can charge up to 2amps.