Charge an iPod With Vodka? Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Launches 1st Direct Ethanol Product

MarketWatch.com (The Wall Street Journal)
Last update: 2:05 p.m. EDT Aug. 19, 2008

SHANGHAI, China, Aug 19, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies today launched the fuel cell industry's first direct ethanol product, the Bio Energy Diversity Kit, which uses tiny amounts of alcohol and water as its fuel. The product marks another step in Horizon's commercialization of fuel cells in portable electronics.

The Bio Energy Discovery Kit is a simple educational product used to introduce fuel cell technology to students, aspiring scientists, teachers and engineers. The kit features a fuel cell powered desktop fan that uses a 90-percent water, 10-percent ethanol mix as the source fuel for transforming an electrochemical reaction into electrical energy.

"Many new ideas will come from the market once this technology can be experimented with," said Taras Wankewycz, co-founder and vice president, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. "The development and commercialization of the world's first direct ethanol fuel cell is an exciting milestone for us but is also just a single step in our continuing goal to bring ever more powerful fuel cell energy solutions to the masses."

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