Stop whatever you're doing and check out this $99 fuel cell-powered portable charger

posted by Peter K. / Jan 08, 2015, 8:43 AM

Stop whatever you're doing and check out this $99 fuel cell-powered portable charger

Chances are that 99% of all portable smartphone chargers you might bump into will rely on a Li-Ion battery to store all that spare juice. From time to time, however, an ingenious product arrives with the true potential to amaze us. Such a gadget is this new smartphone charger, which is currently looking for funding on Kickstarter.

Meet the German-made portable USB charger developed by kraftwerk. At first sight, it will probably fail to impress you - judging from its exterior, one will hardly guess what's so intriguing about this new powerbank. Frankly said, it might even put off some with its looks. Well, at least until they found out what's the deal with the kraftwerk mobile charger.

See, it does not sport a battery inside, but a compact fuel cell, which will produce a steady electrical current by disintegrating chemicals leaving water and heat as by-products after the reaction. Simply put, it's a miniature power plant that can fit in your pockets. "Recharging" the kraftwerk powerbank takes just 3 seconds, which will henceforth enable you to fully charge your iPhone 11 times, as the Kickstarter page of the charger puts it. The charger is completely power grid-independent.

Its tank stores up to 200ml of fuel, which is enough to provide power output varies between 2W and 10W, which means that it will charge your device with a current that deviates between 400mA and 2,000mA, which is similar to what you normally get from most chargers. The willing adopters can back kraftwerk and score a fuel cell mobile charger for $99.

Meet the kraftwerk

View more + 6 images

source: Kickstarter via AndroidAuthority

Options

22 Comments

1. gaara6775

Posts: 738; Member since: May 20, 2014

Design is sexy.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 8:51 AM 3

19. Busyboy

Posts: 731; Member since: Jan 07, 2015

Who cares about the design? This idea is pretty neat on paper, but a complete waste of money in actuality. You need to keep buying fuel for it to work? Joke. Buying a powerbank is cheaper in the long run.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 2:09 PM 3

2. XperiaFanZone

Posts: 2277; Member since: Sep 21, 2012

It seems dangerous.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 8:54 AM 6

3. mafiaprinc3

Posts: 585; Member since: May 07, 2012

same thing came to mind! dangerous,might hear stories of it blowing up in handbags, or blowing peoples feet off. lets wait and see first. I like the design though

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:08 AM 3

4. jaytai0106

Posts: 1888; Member since: Mar 30, 2011

It's power plant not power plat. :D But this thing is pretty neat.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:11 AM 2

5. peace247 unregistered

Which fuel.? How much will the fuel cost..?

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:25 AM 1

6. peace247 unregistered

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:25 AM 0

7. peace247 unregistered

15. Ivan6479

Posts: 250; Member since: Jun 26, 2011

By the looks of the image with the Universal Gas on it, it will most likely run off of butane just like a nice cigar lighter.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 10:51 AM 2

8. garlic456

Posts: 251; Member since: Dec 24, 2012

I think this will have the same sound as a gas powered chain saw.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:26 AM 1

16. Captain_Doug

Posts: 1037; Member since: Feb 10, 2012

It runs on butane. Like a lighter. It's not an engine.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 11:27 AM 2

9. manuel1992

Posts: 10; Member since: Sep 18, 2013

I stopped sex to check out this

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:28 AM 5

10. Slammer

Posts: 1515; Member since: Jun 03, 2010

Doesn't it strike everyone a little suspicious that seal in batteries where we can't replace them, and we are bombarded with these charging accessories to underscore the problem with batteries? I've said it until I'm blue in the face. We shouldn't be sealing archaic powercell technology into modern day power house devices until the battery technology has made far better advances. All we are doing is placing a bandaid on a wound. We are not fixing the problem. It's just the manufacturers creating a pacifier for the consumer. What happens when these accessories no longer charge your device because the battery is toast? John B.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:33 AM 3

17. Diablo2424

Posts: 30; Member since: Jun 29, 2011

I too have been saying this for a few years now... we need to take the good scientists we have out there and dedicate them to improving our battery technology! Battery technology in this world is pathetic, it's old, outdated and with these powerful (see: quad/octa-core CPU's like Tegra X1 and Snapdragon 815) electronics nowadays, we need to figure out better ways of powering them. Wireless charging and rapid charging are great bandaid's as well as charge packs like this one, but as you said, it's just that, a bandaid.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 12:07 PM 1

11. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

Liquefied petroleum gas in your pocket. Imagine that.

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:33 AM 1

12. DillWeed

Posts: 150; Member since: Mar 14, 2014

Please consider producing a 65w 3,5A version

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 9:33 AM 0

13. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

Yet another kickstarter scam on people who don't know better....When will people learn, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is...I hope too many people don't lose their money on this one...Here is some interesting reading on fuel cell technology though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 10:06 AM 1

20. joey_sfb

I lose about 1000 dollar in kick starter scam. Please pledge with both eyes wide open.

posted on Jan 09, 2015, 1:48 AM 0

14. Darkerm

Posts: 322; Member since: Jan 31, 2012

P.S: Extra benefits "It can be used a a hand Grenade"

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 10:11 AM 4

18. moronman66

Posts: 162; Member since: Jan 09, 2012

Anyone else notice the name ends in "twerk"? I hope it's not too late to change their name o.o

posted on Jan 08, 2015, 12:12 PM 1

21. rbasky61

Posts: 34; Member since: Jan 21, 2012

Amazing.. a one step ahead for hikers with no power source to charge their battery packs.. seems it's "Craft Work" in english term..

posted on Jan 09, 2015, 2:03 AM 0

22. truth101

Posts: 1; Member since: Jan 10, 2015

Quote : kraftwerk has a power output of up to 2W cont. Last updated: Tue, Jan 6 2015 7:33 AM PST That means 400mA output for the 5V USB port, what can you charge with that?