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HydroPak "Hydrogen on Demand" - 12/12/08

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies and Millenium Cell have partnered to create the HydroPak, the first “Hydrogen-on-demand” Fuel Cell.

The HydroPak is designed to be an emergency power product, which utilizes Millenium Cell’s fuel-cell modules and Horizon manufacturing capabilities. The HydroPak will start at $649 and they plan to gradually lower the price of the unit around the $400 price range as soon as they reach economies of scale.

The HydroPak has AC/DC and USB connectors to provide compatibility with most devices. It uses disposable hydrogen generating cartridges that are activated by simple adding tap water. Each cartridge will be priced around $40, but they expect to cut the price down around $20 per cartridge as soon as they reach economies of scale. Horizon’s R&D team has just announced that they are replacing the 270Wh cartridges with 300 Wh output. At maximum power draw this should power a typical notebook computer, cell phone, satellite phone or other emergency communication device for more than 10 hours.

The HydroPak is unique for two reasons. It is the first “Hydrogen on Demand” system, which means that the cartridge does not generate hydrogen unless power is actually being drawn from the unit. This is extremely different from other commercial hydrogen systems that continuously generate hydrogen after the unit is activated. Once the HydroPak’s cartridge has been activated by simply adding water it will stay stable for up to 30 days. The HydroPak basically has an off switch so you can turn it off and on when needed.

The second feature the HydroPak has that makes it unique is the cartridges have an infinite shelf life. The sealed cartridges will not generate hydrogen until activated with water. Their chemical powder does not lose power or degenerate like other hydrogen cells. This is also different from batteries which will lose power and degenerate over time. These features make the HydroPak perfect for emergency use. In a disaster a pack of fuel cell cartridges could provide a week of power for lights, cell phones, satellite phones, radios and other small electronic devices.

Once HydroPak fine-tunes the product based on the testing stage results and receives a final certification, they will be available to the market. Commercial launch is scheduled in the 1st quarter 2009.

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