A vision of the future

THE PUBLIC SECTOR LEADING

To pay for the huge cost of making fuel cell-powered vehicles affordable and putting in place a viable national refuelling infrastructure, it is inevitable that the push will need to come from the public sector and various government-sponsored grant schemes.

London is the economic centre of the country and it is already showing how public transport can be made fit for the 21st Century.

HYDROGEN BLACK CAB

A hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the iconic black cab was recently unveiled that can do 250 miles on a tank of hydrogen. It also has a more than adequate top speed of 80mph and can be refuelled in under five minutes. It is intended that there will be 150 of them on London's streets in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Buses are also receiving a boost. The Routemaster 2.0 will feature a hybrid engine makers claim will produce 40% less CO2 emissions and see a 40% increase in fuel efficiency. Expect to see the first fleet on London's streets in time for the Games. There are also plans to introduce five hydrogen fuel cell buses into the capital this year.

To support such endeavours proposals are in place for six hydrogen refuelling stations across the city. Mayor Boris Johnson has already said that he wants an entire network of hydrogen filling stations to support such vehicles plus 25,000 electric vehicle (EV) recharging points.

LONDON AND NEWCASTLE LEADING THE WAY

For London to be spearheading such innovation is hardly surprising. But what action is being taken by other cities in the UK?

Newcastle-upon-Tyne was named Britain's greenest city in 2009 and is one of three cities selected for the Plugged-In Places scheme. Newcastle is aiming to have 1,300 EV recharging points available throughout the area over the next three years.

London and Milton Keynes have also been selected for the scheme, with these three locations home to 11,000 recharging points in just three years time.

GROWING INFRASTRUCTURE

Complementing this scheme is the government- and big business-backed Energy Technologies Institute. The Joined-Cities Plan aims to have a single consolidated national network of recharging points for EVs. Cities already signed up for the project include Birmingham, Coventry, Glasgow, Middlesborough and Sunderland.

Improbably, Wales has its sights set even higher. It plans to create Britain's first hydrogen highway with refuelling stations stretching all along the M4 corridor in the south of the country. In the process south Wales hopes to become a mecca for cutting edge green technology development.

GROWING INFRASTRUCTURE

But the private driver hasn't been completely forgotten in all this. In Leicester the Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car is to be leased by the council to 30 citizens and car-share schemes on a 12-month trial in Spring 2012. The council is also promising refuelling points to make such a proposition practical.

And the net result for you, the driver? A public sector-driven infrastructure and shrinking costs. Technology developed for the public sector will filter its way down into the consumer market.

What you see carrying the public today is leading what you will be driving in the future.