UK firm develops hydrogen fuel system for iPhone

The Independent reports on the electricity-generating battery.

STMicroelectronics said in 2008 that its miniature fuel cell had been in development since 2005, and was due to hit the market by 2010.

The fuel cell is around the same size as the chassis of the iPhone 6 but is so thin that it can fit alongside the conventional battery without any alterations.

Based on initial tests it seems that their prototype was a success and that the iPhone 6 managed to last a week without charging.

A British firm has developed what it claims to be the world’s first hydrogen-powered smartphone battery, capable of keeping an iPhone 6 charged for up to seven days.

For the commercial launch the company is developing a disposable cartridge that would slot into the bottom of future smartphones and contain enough hydrogen-releasing powder for a week of normal use without recharging.

‘To our knowledge this has never been done before, ‘ Intelligent Energy CEO Henri Winand told the Telegraph.

Fuel cells operate in a similar fashion to batteries, but require fuel to “burn”. “This is a major step because if you are moving to a new technology you have to give people a path they are comfortable with”.

Mark Lawson-Statham, the corporate finance chief of Intelligent Energy, said that the technology is now a “couple of years out”. However, they are typically expensive and bulky and have not found much success, especially as ever-larger lithium power banks have recently seen costs fall.

It is believed that the company has been working closely with Apple in order to develop the battery technology.

The company has already hinted that it is waiting for its phone-manufacturing partner to turn the prototype into a commercial product – but refused to comment whether that mysterious partner is Apple Inc.