Toshiba Corp., Japan's largest maker of laptop computers, plans to introduce a model that uses methanol for power instead of a battery by the end of the year. We believe it will be the first'' laptop computer to use such a power source, Ruta Takeishi, a manager in Toshiba's European electronics division, said at a battery industry conference in Paris. It will initially be available only in Japan, he said.
The Toshiba micro fuel cell will last about 10 hours, or about twice as long as most new rechargeable lithium-ion batteries currently available. Lithium-ion batteries account for about $2.7 billion of the $4.5 billion market for rechargeable batteries, according to Paris-based market research firm Avicenne Developpement.
