Aug 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson

Tekion, Motorola develop fuel-cell solution for first responders

At best, the need to recharge an LMR radio is an inconvenience, taking the device — and often its user — out of action for a temporary period. At worst, the need to recharge can be debilitating when no recharging option is available, transforming a valued communications tool into a useless brick.

But these unwanted scenarios could become obsolete in the near future, as Motorola and micro-fuel-cell developer Tekion complete their joint development of a hybrid power solution for portable radios that uses fuel-cell technology to augment and extend the life of LMR radio batteries. As the traditional battery — a lithium-ion battery is used in the prototype — is drained of energy, the fuel-cell cartridge recharges the battery, said Tom Pack, director of business development for Motorola Ventures.

“Toshiba thinks you can get enough energy to draw the energy straight from a fuel cell, but we think you're going to need a battery,” Pack said.

Untouched, this configuration is expected to power an LMR radio twice as long as current lithium-ion batteries. In addition, additional power is only as far away as a replacement fuel-cell cartridge — hot-swappable, as long as the battery still has power — or a fuel refill.

And the fuel used in the Tekion/Motorola prototype is formic acid, a mixture of carbon monoxide and water, said Neil Huff, president and CEO of Tekion. Not only is formic acid a commodity, it is non-flammable — a feature that was a key requirement for first responders who frequently operate near fires and other combustible environments.

“We've actually tried to light it with a torch, but it doesn't light,” Huff said. “In a lot of ways, it's actually safer, because the fuel cell manages the battery.”

Indeed, to prevent combustion inside the radio, the fuel cell does not provide additional energy to batteries that have temperatures above 45° Celsius, so the thermal-runaway issues that have occurred in laptops do not become an issue for LMR radios. Another advantage of the solution is that it weighs about half as much as a clamshell containing 12 AA batteries.

Motorola recognized the need for alternative power sources after seeing first responders struggle following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the electric grids in many areas were disabled, Pack said. “During Katrina, you could ship a lot of radios down to them, but how are you going to charge them?” he said.

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