When some one first said that cars could be powered by hydrogen gas, I assumed they'd been watching Bladerunner.
The concept does seem, in many ways, to be the product of fiction; it is hard, growing up with car exhausts chugging carbon dioxide fumes, to imagine a car being powered - not by petrol that burns harmful gases - but by gas itself.
But the fact of the matter is that there are already a comparatively vast number of hydrogen powered cars on the market.
To date, there are more than 40 hydrogen powered cars that are available or being developed, from some of the world's leading manufacturers: BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Renault, and Volkswagen.
These are just a few, and there are many more.
Contrary to my wildest hopes, the first hydrogen powered car was not driven by Professor Emit Brown of Back to the Future fame. It was actually developed and showcased by BMW, in 2006,as the first commercially available car of the type.
The BMW Hydrogen 7, which was developed to run on either gasoline or hydrogen, has a combined range of 400 miles when given its full capacity of hydrogen and supplied with a full tank of petrol.
But even when it relies simply on hydrogen, it can last for 125 miles.
The fact that the car is eco-friendly does not mean that it doesn't have looks or speed, either. Based on BMW's popular '7' Series Saloons, it has the familiar look of many BMW's that you see on the road. And it can reach 60mph in just 9.4 seconds, boasting a 260hp.
It might have been the first, but that does not make it the best, and there are a number of contenders.
The Nissan X-TRAIL FCV was first developed in 2003, and subsequently redeveloped in 2005. As expected, it does not reach the speeds that the BMW Hydrogen 7 does - it's maximum is around 90mph - but it also runs entirely on hydrogen, meaning that it is perhaps more environmentally friendly.
It's range is larger, too, with a maximum distance of over 300 miles when its hydrogen capacity is at maximum.
Perhaps the most attractive of the crop, though, is the Chrysler ecoVoyager. Shaped something like a bullet, and finished in silver, Chrysler look to be marketing the car as a futuristic possibility made possible.
Besides looking the best, it is incredibly practical and environmentally minded, too.
It can reach 60mph in 8 seconds, and has a top speed of 115mph. It also boasts a 268hp.
The Chrysler ecoVoyager is also equipped with a regenerative breaking system that recharges the power packs, meaning that it can last longer than many other sustainable energy based cars.
Sadly, the Chrysler ecoVoyager is currently in the prototype stage, though it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January of this year, so there may not be long to wait.
These are just three cases in point. With many of the world's auto mobile manufacturers involving themselves in the production of hydrogen powered cars, it marks an exciting step forward for the industry.
Indeed, the design teams are making sure that being eco-friendly does not have to mean a compromise on good looks, as the Nissan X-TRAIL FCV, Chrysler ecoVoyager, and the BMW Hydrogen 7 all show.
The future is coming now.
Are you watching, Marty McFly?
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Posted under Articles, Cars & Transport, Renewable Energy
This post was written by Chris Woolfrey on July 30, 2008