The iPhone 6 may soon be equipped with a hydrogen-powered battery which can keep the handset charged for as long as one week.
A prototype is being developed by British technology company Intelligent Energy which, if plans push through, could just be the world's first ever battery that is powered by hydrogen. The company claims the design of the new battery will add more battery life to the iPhone.
To make the battery work, the company combined hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell that is small and very thin. The combination thus produces electricity. Should there be waste products, these would only be small amounts of water and heat.
The company is also using the new battery with a working prototype of the Apple handset.
The best thing about the design of the new battery is that even though it has the same size of the iPhone, it is remarkably thin which makes it easy to fit into the current chassis of the device. In other words, there's no need to do some major physical alterations to the iPhone.
However, the battery would still require recharging even though it could extend the phone's battery life by a few more days.
While it is true that the company is currently working with a prototype version, there are actually plans to venture into a more commercial phase. In this version, the battery could appear like a small cartridge that can fit into the lower part of the handset. Doing so can provide the handset with a weeklong power. The cartridge is actually disposable which means that after it is used for up to one week, it will have to be ejected and then replaced with a new cartridge. It also means that the phone will no longer need a power socket in order to charge it.
The prototype version is using hydrogen gas which the company refuels by using a modified headphone port.
According to rumors, Intelligent Energy is having talks with Apple in a bid to a possible system integration in the future. While both companies have yet to confirm the veracity of the rumors, Intelligent Energy touts the new technology as sound and that the sole thing that is left for them to do is how to market it.
"Our view is that this is a couple of years out," said Mark Lawson-Statham, Intelligent Energy's corporate finance chief. "But really it's about how quickly does our partner want to press the button and get on with it?"
