A Norfolk company granted its first license for the use of a recent invention, a device that can replace low-current batteries, never dies and runs with no fuel or moving parts.
The Face Companies developed the devices, which are slightly bigger than postage stamps, to act as a nontoxic battery alternative. Face’s Chief Technology Officer Clark Boyd designed the thermal energy-harvesting Evercell devices to work without chemicals, unlike batteries.
“Batteries work by tapping energy out of chemical reactions. That’s why most batteries are toxic. … Even though the battery runs out, those toxic chemicals are still in it. Evercell’s performance is so unprecedented,” said CEO Brad Face.
The company announced the development of its Evercell device in January 2018 after receiving patents for the technology, and has been testing the technology for more than three years.
New Norfolk-based company QuantumDrive made a deal to use the Evercell devices to power quartz watches. This is the first license the Face Companies have granted for the devices, and QuantumDrive plans to start selling the watches in 2020 or 2021.
The device works by separating hot and cold particles of matter to harvest thermal temperature. The temperature difference in the particles thermo-electrically generates energy. Evercell produces about 5 microwatts of power. The Face Companies hold 10 patents on the device, Face said.
There have been many skeptics of the invention, with many believing it was just another battery or questioning what the company reported about its own “experiments” without seeing the device themselves, Face said.
His response: They can believe it or not. But it works.
