VIDEO: Hydrogen-powered vehicle launched

HydroGen4, the fourth generation of Vauxhall’s hydrogen-powered cars, has been manufactured in Canada and could be available by 2015.

The launch at Vauxhall headquarters in Luton was part of the government’s UK H2Mobility project to develop clean hydrogen fuel cell technology for cars.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles are a cleaner travel alternative as they do not release carbon emissions, instead releasing only water vapour.

With new technology the cars can also boast many of the same mod-cons as petrol or diesel cars, such as air-conditioning and heated seats. They have a top speed of 100mph, an estimated 310 miles of travel between re-fuelling and take only three minutes to fill up fully.

Bill Parfitt, Vauxhall’s director for government affairs and public policy said: “The successful roll-out of these vehicles will now depend on the availability of hydrogen to the consumer in a real life environment.”