By Fiona Macrae and Rob Cooper
Last updated at 12:34 AM on 29th January 2011
- Hydrogen-based fuel produces no greenhouse gases so could help nations slash their carbon footprint
- It is due to be available at the pumps in three to five years
Petrol price relief? Stephen Voller, chief executive of Cella Energy said he is confident the new fuel will work in existing cars
Artificial petrol that costs 19p per litre could be on forecourts in as little as three years.
British scientists are refining the recipe for a hydrogen-based fuel that will run in existing cars and engines at the fraction of the cost of conventional petrol.
With hydrogen at its heart rather than carbon, it will not produce any harmful emissions when burnt, making it better for the environment, as well as easier on the wallet.
The first road tests are due next year and, if all goes well, the cut-price 'petrol' could be on sale in three to five years.
Professor Stephen Bennington, the project's lead scientist, said: 'In some senses, hydrogen is the perfect fuel. It has three times more energy than petrol per unit of weight, and when it burns, it produces nothing but water.
'Our new hydrogen storage materials offer real potential for running cars, planes and other vehicles that currently use hydrocarbons.'
The fuel is expected to cost around $1.50 a gallon, or 19p a litre. Even with fuel taxes, the forecourt price is likely to be around 60p a litre – less than half the current cost.
That would bring the price of filling a 70-litre Ford Mondeo down to around 42.
Energy from hydrogen can be harnessed by burning the gas or combining it with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce electricity.
But current methods of storing hydrogen are expensive and not very safe.
How it works: Cella Energy is optimistic that drivers will not need to modify their cars in order to use the fuel
To get round this, scientists from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford, University College London and Oxford University have found a way of densely packing hydrogen into tiny beads that can be poured or pumped like a liquid.
Stephen Volker, of Cellar Energy, which is developing the technology, told Gizmag: 'We have developed micro-beads that can be used in an existing gasoline or petrol vehicle to replace oil-based fuels.
Green energy: A hydrogen fuel bus in London. Unlike existing 'green' fuels the new fuel under development will not require motorists to upgrade their vehicles
'Early indications are that the micro-beads can be used in existing vehicles without engine modification. The materials are hydrogen-based, and so when used produce no carbon emissions at the point of use, in a similar way to electric vehicles.'
A tankful of the artificial petrol, which has yet to be given a brand name, is expected to last 300 to 400 miles, in line with conventional fuel.
But AA president Edmund King warned: 'The fact the hydrogen is cheaper now doesn't mean it always will be because the Government would soon get its hands on it and increase the tax.'
We need an alternative to oil this may be the way forward. Again the British and Oxford are leading the way, I applaud them. Its early days yet, but lets flavour the moment, and may be those Middle Eastern countries that impose so much on a barrel of oil will shake their heads in fear. We have taken the brunt of these price rises and had to pay on demand, may be this will break the demand and we can be self sufficient in another fuel. I for one wish the whole of the university and the professer well, it would be an achievement for the nation if this could be done, cleaner air, cleaner travel, it as to come. Well done so far, but lets wait and when we see the final result we will have something to celebrate. No government should impose taxes on this its up to us to vote for those who show restraint, and certainly not this lot.
- Barbara, West Midlands, 29/1/2011 18:44
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