PRESS RELEASES

POLYFUEL UNVEILS REVOLUTIONARY FUEL CELLl TECHNOLOGY PROTOTYPE at INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM
Next-Generation Micro Power Source Provides "Always-On" Power for Portable Devices and Laptop Computers

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 19, 2003 – PolyFuel Inc., a leading provider of direct methanol fuel cell technology (DMFC) for portable devices and laptop computers, today unveiled its latest prototype at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF). Anand Chandrasekher, vice president of Intel's Mobile Platform Group, displayed a working prototype of PolyFuel's newest DMFC technology to more than 4,000 IDF attendees today at the San Jose Convention Center.

During his keynote presentation, Chandrasekher discussed PolyFuel's DMFC technology that enables unlimited runtimes for mobile computing with a hot-swappable fuel cartridge. The PolyFuel solution enables hot-swapping of fuel cartridges without interruption of applications running on the mobile PC.

A Portable Power Crisis

Limited battery life is one of the primary complaints of users of portable devices such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants, and mobile phones. At the same time, consumers continue to place greater demands on these devices, which in turn require manufacturers to incorporate applications that consume even greater amounts of power. While battery technologies have made significant strides in the past 15 years, even the best batteries only power one to two hours of heavy usage. .

PolyFuel has created the first fully-integrated direct fuel cell system designed to provide superior performance in portable devices and laptop computers. PolyFuel's DMFC technology offers several advantages over traditional lithium ion batteries, including:

  •  Continuous power: unlimited unplugged run times
  •  Hot-swappable fuel cartridge
  •  Increased portability
  •  Environmentally safe, recyclable fuel cartridge
  •  No capacity degradation with reuse and recharging
"Demand for 'always-on' power is growing exponentially as the mass market adoption of portable devices and laptops increases," said Jim Balcom, President and Chief Executive Officer of PolyFuel. "Direct methanol fuel cell technology is the answer to the portable power crisis we, as an industry, are currently facing. Soon, users will to be able to operate their notebooks indefinitely, without plugging in, by simply hot-swapping a fuel cartridge. The benefits of fuel cell technology to the consumer are enormous."

About PolyFuel

PolyFuel is a leading provider of direct methanol fuel cell technology for portable devices and laptop computers. The Company's proprietary technology is based on more than 14 years of research at SRI (formerly Stanford Research Institute), and delivers substantial performance and cost advantages over both rechargeable batteries and other direct methanol fuel cell technologies. Founded in 1999 and based in Menlo Park, Calif., PolyFuel is privately held and venture-funded by Intel Capital, Mayfield, Ventures West, Technology Partners and Chrysalix Energy. For more information, please visit www.polyfuel.com or call (650) 859-2953.

PolyFuel Public Relations Contact:
Christian DeNike
Prequent Inc.
(408) 307-1236
christian@prequent.com