Bic is renowned for manufacturing pens, razors and lighters. And pretty good ones too. But their latest venture is a bit confusing. They are endeavoring to produce disposable cartridges for fuel cells. If the product reaches the market, we would simply need to put in a disposable fuel cell cartridge to charge our computer, iPod or cellphone instead of plugging it. These cartridges are not only supposed to be economical, but they are believed to possess the capability of making a cellphone run for weeks at a stretch.
Sounds good so far. But wait a minute. What happens to the used cartridges? Don’t we all know that used batteries are choking up the environment, being dumped by the millions in landfills, as there is little scope for recycling them? When the whole world is looking for alternatives to batteries, Bic is actually producing a new kind? Moreoevr, Bic has sold more than 100 billion of those pens total, and they sell about 10 million razors and five million lighters every day. Who accounts for them when they are used up to useless plastic?
But yeah, all having said and done, this kind of cartridge does seem to have some advantages. They can come in handy when you are traveling through a place where there is no scope for recharging through electricity. You can simply carry some cartridges and use them whenever you need to charge any of your electronic gadgets. But otherwise, it doesn’t seem to be a good idea, unless of course, Bic has better plans about it.
Via: Good Clean Tech
