New Apple battery ‘will last for weeks’

APPLE has been awarded a patent for a battery it claims could power its devices for weeks without being recharged. The technology may be the answer to persistent grumbles that the company’s gadgets run out of power too quickly.

The patent application seems to have been drafted with Apple MacBook laptops in mind.

However, if the technology is made smaller, it could be suitable for the iPhone or even the Apple Watch.

The application says the power system could keep a device running ‘for days or even weeks’.

It details a ‘portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device’, which could use several different energy sources to provide power.

Apple appears to be keeping its options open in terms of the exact fuel to be used in the power pack.

Only a small number of Apple’s patents are eventually used in its products.

However, it is the second time in a matter of weeks, that details of fuel cell systems for its devices have emerged.

Documents were filed with the US Patent Office in March this year.

They specifically make reference to the MagSafe connector used to plug Apple’s range of Macbooks into mains power, suggesting the cell system would initially be designed for its laptop range.

It is unlikely the new system will be used in the latest iPhone, the 6S model, which is expected to be launched next week. Fuel cells produce electricity without combustion, usually combining hydrogen with oxygen to produce electrical energy. It means they can be more than twice as efficient as other types of battery.

Unlike batteries, they do not need recharging and will continue to operate as long as they are provided with fuel. Apple’s patent said: ‘Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refuelling.’

Experts believe the market for hydrogen fuel cell batteries is vast – perhaps as much as £300billion a year.

Last month, fuel cell experts Intelligent Energy announced a tiny prototype hydrogenpowered battery, suitable for the iPhone6, which it said could keep a handset running for a week without recharging.

Neither Apple nor Intelligent Energy commented on speculations that they were working together.

‘Portable and cost-effective’