No Need for Heavy Batteries
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Edited by Robert H. Williams
A just-developed fuel cell that is powered by chemical hydride
cartridges will allow soldiers to dispense with batteries weighing
more than 29 pounds. Produced for the Air Force by Protonex Technology
and Millennium Cell Inc., the P1 system produces 20 Watts of continuous
power over a 72-hour mission for combat troops and weighs less than
15 pounds.
An improved version, expected to be available later this year,
will weigh less than 10 pounds.