Green Technology -Millennium Cell and Horizon Fuel Cell Provide Ready for Portable Power Product

By Tim Gray

Millennium Cell (News - Alert) and Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies have completed a pre-production version of the HydroPak portable power generator that incorporates a water-activated cartridge system for greener power, the companies said.

The HydroPak combines Horizon's fuel cells with Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand storage technology in a bid to offer cleaner and quieter power generators for use by consumers and professionals for emergency and recreational purposes.

"We believe that these fuel cell power products possess a potent combination of convenience, performance and economics that are unique in the marketplace and will fill a void that exists today," commented George Gu, CEO of Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies.

Gu also said he was excited about that “the HydroPak line of products, beginning with the commercialization of the first water-activated portable power system in 2008 and followed shortly by others in 2009.”

The idea behind the power source is to provide a high energy alternative to lead acid battery packs and portable generators. The HydroPak system, together with each cartridge provides infinite shelf life and enough energy to recharge an average notebook computer 8 to 10 times and can run indoors with quiet operation and zero harmful emissions, according to the company.

"Millennium Cell considers the HydroPak product line as a cornerstone in our product strategy and we are dedicating significant resources to support product introduction into the marketplace beginning in 2008,” said Briggs, president of Millennium Cell.

Briggs also said the system is quieter, lighter and smaller than generators, stores more energy than possible with batteries and has a lower cost than any similar fuel cell device.

The initial reaction from OEM's and potential distributors for this product has been very positive and we plan to generate our first commercial revenues through aggressively marketing and selling this innovative family of products," said Briggs.

The HydroPak is designed with a common AC outlet and two USB connectors to charge or operate low power devices such as portable lights, notebook computers, portable televisions and ad hoc communications networks for more than 14 continuous hours when needed. The planned retail pricing of $400 for the system and $20 for the disposable cartridges will make this solution attractive to both professionals responding to emergencies, as well as consumers desiring power for both backup and recreational needs.

Beginning in February 2008, Horizon and Millennium Cell plan to demonstrate and sample limited numbers of the current pre-production unit to OEM's, distributors, and key military decision makers.

Additional products have been identified for development and are expected to be shipped to commercial and government customers for evaluation in 2008 and 2009. A HydroPak Mini(TM) product prototype for use in consumer devices such as cell phones, PDA's and portable media players will also be demonstrated for the first time at the conferences in January. The objective of showing this unit is to gauge interest for a less expensive, smaller power source with unlimited shelf life and silent power for smaller portable communications and electronics devices.

Tim Gray is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To see more of his articles, please visit Tim Gray’s columnist page.

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