Are iPhones with 7-day hydrogen batteries on the way?

24 Aug 2015

iPhone 6, via Luke Maxwell

Intelligent Energy claims to have created a working prototype of a hydrogen battery, fitting in current phone designs and offering a seven-day charge.

The British company is rumoured to be working closely with Apple to make this a reality, with early prototypes so slim that they fit into the existing iPhone hardware.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the current model refuels hydrogen gas through the headphone socket and, if rolled out into the wild, it would be removable.

The battery combines hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, with the water and heat waste managed by a tiny vent at the back of a device.

“To our knowledge this has never been done before,” said Henri Winand, chief executive of the company.

“We have now managed to make a fuel cell so thin we can fit it to the existing chassis without alterations and retaining the rechargeable battery.

“This is a major step because if you are moving to a new technology you have to give people a path they are comfortable with.”

Intelligent Energy claims this technology is still “a couple of years” away.

As someone who hates having to gravitate towards sockets to keep devices charged, I’m hoping it will be far quicker. I’m hoping, too, that Android devices get on board.

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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