Traveling light - micro fuel cells could give soldiers less weight to carry

Millennium Cell Inc. is working with Protonex Technology Corp. to develop micro fuel cells for the US military. The micro fuel cells would weigh half as much as the current batteries used by the military but can be recharged. Micro fuel cells run on hydrogen and the hydrogen sources being considered for them, chemical hydrides and methanol, have at least 30 times as much energy density as non-rechargeable lithium batteries. The US Department of Defense is also investing in portable power systems based on different fuel cell technologies that offer weight and cost savings similar to the Protonex system.