Samsung unveils month-long laptop fuel cell

Samsung's fuel cell promises to run a laptop eight hours a day for five weeks

Samsung has developed a prototype fuel cell expansion dock that promises to power a laptop computer for over a month. 

The device is scheduled for commercial production by the end of this year, Samsung said.

One of the company's Q35 ultra portable notebook computers will run eight hours a day for five weeks on methanol, a form of alcohol. It delivers a maximum output of 20W and can store up to 1,200Wh.

Samsung also touted design advances in its fuel cell dock that will allow it to operate more quietly than previous models. The dock snaps in at the back of the laptop and is about the same size as a regular laptop docking station.

Device manufacturers are eyeing fuel cells as a way to power mobile devices without requiring them to be plugged in or recharged as often as current generation batteries.

Fuel cells for consumer electronics devices typically run on alcohol, while vehicle manufacturers are developing hydrogen powered fuel cells.

Methanol fuel cells rely on the oxidation of the liquid on a catalyst to form carbon dioxide.

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