Tech Talk

June 2005

No Need for Heavy Batteries

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.