A fleet of 10 hydrogen-powered buses will be operational in London by 2010 with the capital’s Mayor Ken Livingstone promising that within three years a further 60 similarly fuelled cars, vans and motorbikes will be on the capital’s streets.

In fact, by 2015 Mr Livingstone wants 5% of all London’s public sector fleet vehicles powered by hydrogen as he continues to clean up the capital’s streets and its air quality.

With climate change billed as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, The Mayor believes that hydrogen power is the solution to a carbon-free transport economy.

And, while vehicle manufacturers view hydrogen power as the holy grail of motoring a number of critical issues must be overcome before drivers find a hydrogen pump on a forecourt close to their home or business.

Arguably the two biggest issues surround the production of hydrogen and the creation of a viable refuelling infrastructure. Until hydrogen can be produced from renewable energy sources and not fossil fuels, environmentalists argue that carbon emission reduction will be minimal. Meanwhile, hydrogen vehicle backers say that the opening of a critical mass of hydrogen pumps and Government tax incentives will kick-start initially corporate and then consumer demand.

Helping to stimulate demand for hydrogen vehicle power in both the UK and the capital is the London Hydrogen Partnership. Its members include: Air Products, Association of London Government, Baxi Group, BMW, BOC, BP, Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust, Greater London Authority, Health and Safety Executive, Imperial College, Intelligent Energy, Johnson Matthey, London Development Agency, London First, Rolls-Royce, Thames Water, Transport for London and Government departments.

The £9.65 million bus contract for five hydrogen fuel cell buses and five hydrogen internal combustion engine buses will result in three hydrogen refuelling stations being opened in London.

In announcing the the introduction of the buses, Mr Livingstone said: “London is now the first city in Europe to commit to a hydrogen bus fleet of this size. Hydrogen fuel cell buses produce no exhaust emissions other than water vapour. Emissions from the buses with hydrogen internal combustion engines will also be much lower than from conventional diesel buses.

“Hydrogen is a fuel of the future as it improves air quality and does not produce the harmful emissions which are causing catastrophic climate change.”

Confidently Honda, which next year will bring the first commercially viable hydrogen car to the marketplace, says: “Hydrogen will fuel the next generation of global vehicles. It’s a fact accepted by the entire industry. And given that it’s the most commonly-occurring element in the universe, supply is not an issue.”

It is a view shared by vehicle manufacturers across the world as they have collectively spent hundreds of millions of pounds developing hydrogen-powered cars. Carmakers such as BMW and Honda say they could import a hydrogen cars to the UK now if refuelling pumps were available.

However, one of the UK Government’s key advisers remains less certain saying that many challenges have to be overcome and says the journey towards hydrogen fuel domination is no short trip (see panel on p19).

Nevertheless, in a bid to overcome a classic ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum – which comes first the vehicle or the refuelling infrastructure – Honda has decided that not only will it be the first manufacturer to market a commercial viable hydrogen car, it will overcome complex infrastructure issues by also marketing a hydrogen-producing Home Energy Station.

Honda’s FCX Clarity hydrone fuel cell car will be available in southern California next summer through a heavily subsidised three-year leasing arrangement. Customers will be able to lease the car for $600 a month (£290), including maintenance and collision insurance.

The Clarity has a top speed of
100mph and is said to have up to three times the fuel economy of a petrol-powered car. The car has a range of 270 miles from its 171-litre hydrogen tank.

Honda (UK) says the four-seater car is earmarked for European arrival in 2012. However, whether a debut on the UK’s roads is a possibility is likely to be totally dependent on the opening of hydrogen refuelling stations.

“We believe it will be companies that will be first users of hydrogen-powered vehicles,” said a Honda spokesman, who pointedly added. “There are incentives on offer from the US Government for companies that take up emission-free cars.

“It is entirely possible for Honda to import the car to the UK, but the stumbling block is the lack of a refuelling infrastructure. That is the reason why we are developing solutions to the infrastructure problem such as our Home Energy Station.”

The Home Energy Station uses a home’s existing gas supply for production of hydrogen to fuel a car, while providing heat and electricity to an average-sized home. Honda claims the technology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity production by an estimated 30% and electricity costs by around 50% in comparison wiith heating and fuel used by the average American for their home and car.

A number of manufacturers have experimental fleets of hydrogen vehicles operating in trial in numerous towns and cities around the world. In fact, earlier this year, a fleet of six BMW Hydrogen 7 cars, based on the 7 Series, spent around three months being driven on the UK’s roads by dignitaries and businessmen.

Those cars remain part of a 100-strong fleet of Hydrogen 7 cars which continues
a global tour as BMW promotes the message that hydrogen technology has a key role to play in reducing harmful emissions from transport.

While Honda, like most vehicle manufacturers brings hydrogen fuel cell cars to market, BMW and Mazda have taken the alternative route of marrying hydrogen to petrol engines.

Honda’s FCX Clarity is widely reported to have a notional list price of around £50,000 and while vehicle manufacturers decline to talk cost saying demand will drive prices down, BMW says it would expect a hydrogen-powered car to cost around 10% more than a petrol equivalent. Most of the additional cost is for the fuel tank and those costs are likely to be similar whether compressed or liquid hydrogen is used.

In the UK, BMW loaned its Hydrogen 7 cars to high profile business leaders and opinion formers including Prince Michael of Kent and Nicky Gavron, London Deputy Mayor and chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership.

BMW (UK)’s head of government and industrial affairs, John Hollis said: “BMW is a pioneer in the development and use of hydrogen as a fuel source and shares the vision of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor that London should be one of the world centres for hydrogen.”

Based on the existing 7 Series, the Hydrogen 7 is powered by a 260 bhp 12-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 9.5 seconds before going on to an electronically-limited 143mph top speed. The driver can switch from hydrogen to conventional petrol power at the press of a steering wheel-mounted button.

With a hydrogen range of 125 miles and a further 300 miles under petrol power, the Hydrogen 7 is equipped with a conventional 74-litre petrol tank and an additional hydrogen fuel tank holding up to 8 kgs of liquid hydrogen. To support the BMW fleet the company opened a temporary hydrogen refuelling station in Wembley.

Mr Hollis said: “The Hydrogen 7 is a full production ready vehicle, which has met all the stringent processes and final sign-off criteria that every current BMW model undergoes.

“Zero emission motoring is no longer a dream and this car proves the technology isn’t as far away as some sceptics may think.”

As to whether the BMW hydrogen vehicles go on sale in the UK, Mr Hollis said: “We will have to wait to see what the reaction is.

The cars have been welcomed in California, which is a far more advanced market in this area. There will probably be a filling station in Brussels and the European Commission is committed to developing hydrogen in Europe. But it is a long haul.”

Meanwhile, HyNor (Hydrogen Road of Norway) is to buy a fleet of 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars next summer under a commercial leasing arrangement. They will be the first hydrogen vehicles sold by Mazda outside Japan.

The Norwegians are keen to develop a hydrogen economy and believe the deal will speed up the process of introducing hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel. In a joint Norwegian industry initiative to fuel buses, taxis and private cars a ‘hydrogen highway’ infrastructure along a 580 kilometres route from Oslo to Stavanger is being developed.

A spokesman for HyNor, which involves about 40 organisations including regional and national authorities and Statoil, Norway’s biggest oil company, said: “By using the internal combustion engine as a feasible technology to accelerate realisation of the real hydrogen world, we can develop a hydrogen infrastructure much faster. HyNor is focusing on a carbon neutral infrastructure, and using hydrogen in the Mazda cars will ensure a complete carbon free line of fuel.”

A Mazda Corporation spokesman said: “While the 20th century was a carbon era, the 21st century is a revolutionary time, which will see a change to a hydrogen era. Mazda intends to support the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure with its hydrogen rotary engine technology. We expect that if future fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen engine cars are practical enough society will adopt them.”

Mazda currently only plans to operate hydrogen cars in Japan – a hydrogen Premacy MPV will be available for commercial leasing next year following its debut at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show and two Japanese-based energy companies
are already operating RX-8 Hydrogen RE cars – and Norway and says that until a refuelling infrastructure is launched in the UK it cannot anticipate bringing ‘clean fuel’ vehicles to Britain.

Meanwhile, General Motors, whose position as the world’s leading vehicle manufacturer is under threat from Toyota, aims to be the first automaker to produce one million fuel cell-powered vehicles, as the company accelerates development of ‘green’ vehicles for the mass market.

The company wants to have fuel cell-powered vehicles in showrooms around 2011 or 2012, and to ramp up production to about a million vehicles a year worldwide after 2012.

Elsewhere, Ford has a fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city programme to conduct real-world testing of fuel cell technology. In addition, Ford has 24 hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine shuttle buses in cities across the US and Canada.

Meanwhile, at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show Volkswagen added a hydrogen fuel cell concept to its Up! family of vehicles. However, a UK spokeswoman for the company said it was doubtful that mass-produced hydrogen-powered cars would be available before about 2020.

In recent years, Toyota has consistently promoted the view that, for the foreseeable future, hybrid vehicles remain the way forward for maximising fuel economy and reducing emissions at an affordable price.

The company, which is investing in hydrogen power with programmes running in both Japan and the United States, says: “Right now, the cost of fuel cell vehicles is too high; durability and reliability are not acceptable and fuel infrastructure is not in place. Fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen production must come a long way to compete with petrol hybrids.”

Massive carmaker investment in hydrogen power, which is claimed to offer a 90% reduction in CO2 if the fuel is produced from renewable resources, is undeniable. But, it seems that without political will and customer demand hydrogen cars in showrooms are some years away.

But, in the UK, just as depot-based fleets led demand for gas-powered vehicles before the Government turned off the financial subsidy tap, it could be those same organiations which are first to operate hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. With the ability to accommodate their own fuel pump and typically operating vehicles in urban areas, a hydrogen delivery vehicle may just be coming to a street near you soon.