Re: Powertrekk, taking hydrogen fuel cells on tour a potential game changer?

On Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 10:27 PM, mmeiser
<[email protected]> wrote:
> The pocket-size PowerTrekk Fuel Cell [...] device also utilizes
> disposable fuel cell packs.
>
> Bottom line, put in water, get power.

Not exactly.  Put in proprietary "disposable fuel cell pack",
add water, and get power.

The lack of technical details at the website makes it
seem almost like a perpetual motion machine!  There
is no description of how the hydrogen is produced, even
in the 'technical' document, only a passing reference:

    Since the hydrogen fuel can be supplied from several
    alternative sources, the system is “flexifuel”.  The fuel
    cell inside PowerTrekk [...] silently converts hydrogen
    into electricity via its Proton Exchange Membrane.

    http://www.powertrekk.com/zip/ProductInfo.zip

The fuel cell stores chemical energy in some form
which with water added produces hydrogen.  There's
no mention of energy density, cost, or availability of
the disposable fuel cell modules.

> For example I could get a nice DSLR like a cannon Mark
> IV and take it on remote trips, say a trip around the world,
> without having to worry about how I'm going to charge it.

No, just worry about where you're going to get the proprietary
"fuel packs".  %^)  But I know what you mean...

Small form factor high-efficiency fuel cell systems that can
use readily available fuel sources might be a game changer.

Jon