Do you remember when we were promised methanol fuel cells to power our devices? Instant charging, clean energy, super long life...where the hell is that tech??
Do you remember when we were promised methanol fuel cells to power our devices? Instant charging, clean energy, super long life...where the hell is that tech??
I don't buy that. Toshiba had working prototypes of laptop fuel-cells in 2003. They launched a consumer powerstation in 2009 at something like <$300. There are companies supplying fuel-cell generators and there's open, public info on how to build them. It seems more that the tech is large/expensive and hasn't been miniaturised as expected to replace a battery.IThe difficulty is always preventing access to the tech to those intending to mis-use it. Power literally is power.
I don't buy that. Toshiba had working prototypes of laptop fuel-cells in 2003.
They launched a consumer powerstation in 2009 at something like <$300. There are companies supplying fuel-cell generators and there's open, public info on how to build them. It seems more that the tech is large/expensive and hasn't been miniaturised as expected to replace a battery.
Really?Never sold outside of China...
Really?
It’s not in consumer space yet but does exist in other already heavily regulated spaces. Fuel cells are old tech for some just like micro reactors. The difficulty is always preventing access to the tech to those intending to mis-use it. Power literally is power.
Like petrol? And lithium batteries? You said, "it’s not in consumer space yet but does exist in other already heavily regulated space." I'm pointing you to products and dealers where you can buy generators for domestic use. How is that not in the consumer space? It's not like methanol is a restricted substance. You can even buy it on Amazon!Being both volatile and toxic it represents safety risks...
Sure but that's flights, and they regulate everything! It's not like health-and-safety of flights has stopped development of hair gel or spray paint which have restrictions for flights. You also said Toshiba was only able to research this because of the Nuclear Fuel Division is heavily regulated. That's clearly nonsense as you can buy the parts to build your own as well as buy complete fuel-cell generators. It's not some incredible super-power source that terrorist could put into portal laser cannons that needs international control to stop it getting into the wrong hands. There's no intrinsic reason to limit development and deployment of a new energy tech for safety reasons above all the other safety regulations out there.Methanol-based fuel cells, of an approved specific type, are currently permitted on many commercial flights. In part this is a risk-based policy predicated on their being so few. Should they become mainstream, the issue of them being manufactured to lower safety standards and the increase in volume will result in a revisit of this policy.
Like petrol? And lithium batteries? You said, "it’s not in consumer space yet but does exist in other already heavily regulated space." I'm pointing you to products and dealers where you can buy generators for domestic use. How is that not in the consumer space? It's not like methanol is a restricted substance. You can even buy it on Amazon!
Sure but that's flights, and they regulate everything! It's not like health-and-safety of flights has stopped development of hair gel or spray paint which have restrictions for flights.
You also said Toshiba was only able to research this because of the Nuclear Fuel Division is heavily regulated. That's clearly nonsense as you can buy the parts to build your own as well as buy complete fuel-cell generators.
It's not some incredible super-power source that terrorist could put into portal laser cannons that needs international control to stop it getting into the wrong hands. There's no intrinsic reason to limit development and deployment of a new energy tech for safety reasons above all the other safety regulations out there.
I'm not following your argument at all. This is a recap of how I think the conversation has gone thus far:Generators are large and make a lot of noise, the scope of their mis-use is greatly diminished because of this. You know like how there are tighter regulations on firearms (in most countries) compared to cards yet both are dangerous in the wrong hands. The majority of the the concerns about fuels for "devices" - and I assume you mean portable devices like phones, tablets and laptops here - are predicated on the the ease with which such devices can be concealed for mis-use.
Are many people spending hours using spray paint or hair gel on flights? People spent a lot of time using their mobile devices ergo, it would be folly to try and sell a device to the public that you may not be able to use to kill time on your flight.
What devices are you talking about? You said "devices" now you're talking about generators.
The UN disagrees with you.
I assert there is no attempt to keep the tech from those wanting to misuse it.It’s not in consumer space yet but does exist in other already heavily regulated spaces. Fuel cells are old tech for some just like micro reactors. The difficulty is always preventing access to the tech to those intending to mis-use it. Power liteally is power.
I'm not following your argument at all. This is a recap of how I think the conversation has gone thus far
I guess like every technology, the excitement of its potential that appeared in early press was naive of the real-world limitations that an actual product faces. I guess I'll be powering my FED TV with my methanol power-pack any day now...