TOKYO-Japanese mobile carrier KDDI Corp. announced an agreement with
Toshiba Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. to cooperate on research into compact fuel-cell
batteries for mobile communication devices. A commercial product is expected by
the end of 2005.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
KDDI
said research will cover areas such as miniaturization, ease of use and all
technical considerations required for incorporating the batteries into mobile
phones. Plans are to complete an external, battery-charger-type model within
2004 and complete a mobile phone built-in model by the end of the 2005 fiscal
year. The three companies are already actively participating in national and
international standardization and deregulation efforts related to fuel-cell
technology.
There is a continuing trend for mobile telephones to consume more
power, as LCD screen functionality increases and applications become more
powerful. KDDI said fuel-cell battery technology being researched is appropriate
for mobile phones because it has high energy density, is environmentally
superior to current technology, and can be recharged simply by adding fuel. The
technology is already under consideration for automobiles, PCs and certain
household products.
