Fuel cell technology to extend smartphone battery life by a week

Intelligent Energy, which makes small hydrogen fuel cells that can make batteries last up to a week, has signed a deal with an unnamed emerging smartphone manufacturer to bring the technology to handsets. The fuel cell is so thin it can fit inside a current iPhone 6, for example, without making it bulkier. Experts predict that the market for hydrogen fuel cell batteries could be worth as much as £300bn ($471bn) per year. Bloomberg points out that such a unit could also be a lifeline for people living without access to a power grid, such as in large parts of Africa.

Smartphone batteries that last for a week could be available soon as Intelligent Energy strikes deal with manufacturer to add hydrogen fuel cells to handsets

While smartphones have changed the world mainly for the good – constant access to Google makes winning arguments and pub quizzes that much easier – they don't match up to their brick-like predecessors in one very important way – battery life.

While old faithfuls like the Nokia 3210 could last for days without having to be plugged in, smartphones need daily doses of power – but this could be about to change.

Read more: Deleting this one app could save 15% of your battery life

Following the announcement of a deal between Intelligent Energy and an unnamed, emerging smartphone maker, phone batteries that last for up to a week could be available soon.

Intelligent Energy has signed a joint development agreement with the smartphone manufacturer "with the goal to develop embedded fuel cell technology for the manufacturer’s devices".

"Once embedded, a fuel cell has the potential to keep a smartphone powered for more than a week without plugging into the wall socket," the energy firm said.

"With smartphones using an ever increasing amount of power as they become more sophisticated, consumers are becoming increasingly frustrated with the current limitations of battery life. Embedding a fuel cell into the phone, means consumers can have off grid power for their phones when and where they want."

Intelligent Energy consumer electronics boss Julian Hughes said the company has been working with the phone manufacturer in recent weeks, looking into the capabilities of matching fuel cell technology with smartphones.

“We believe embedding fuel cell technology into portable devices provides a solution to the current dilemma of battery life and with consumers demanding more and more from their phones, battery innovation has not kept up," Hughes added.

"What we offer is a solution that is clean and efficient and means consumers could be truly mobile and free from the constraints of the grid."

With consumer power demands increasing and the advent of the Internet of Things making the world more connected than ever, now is the time to address the biggest limitation we have in achieving true connectivity – battery life.

Intelligent Energy previously launched the Upp, its hydrogen-powered, USB-compatible charger which it sold at Apple stores across Britain.