No matter how big the batteries in our smartphones and tablets get we always seem to run out of charge when we need it the most. This is why many people, myself included, carry around portable solutions like power banks and solar chargers to ensure that our devices don’t die on us. What if there was a portable charger that didn’t need to be charged and didn’t require any sunlight? This is where Kraftwerk, a fuel cell power generation that works on standard gas, comes in.
I haven’t brushed up on my German recently but the company behind this project graciously explains that Kraftwerk is German for “power station.”
What it does is pretty simple. Fill the Kraftwerk with a nominal amount of lighter fluid or camping gas and the company says that it will generate enough electricity on its own charge an iPhone 11 times over.
The company, eZelleron, makes some tall claims about the portable charger’s safety. Kraftwerk is claimed to be FAA approved for carrying into an aircraft cabin and is said to be safe enough to carry around in your pocket.
There is no detailed information about the fuel cell in this portable charger, only that it has been invented by the company, and that it gives you “freedom to use your electronic devices anywhere and at any time.”
eZelleron is raising funds through Kickstarter to bring the Kraftwerk to production. It has already gone well past of the $500,000 goal. More than $900,000 have been pledged at this time of this writing and the campaign still has 31 days to go.
A minimum pledge of $99 will get you one Kraftwerk by February 2016.
Filed in . Read more about Crowdfunding and Kickstarter.