Honda says that its FCX concept car, on display at the Tokyo Motor Show this week, will be launched as a production vehicle in the US and Japan in 2008.

Honda sees hydrogen fuelling the next generation of global vehicles. The company believes that, as hydrogen is the most commonly-occurring element in the universe, supply is not an issue. It says that hydrogen can not only help cars to emit zero CO2 emissions, but the development of technology to use the fuel promises to change the ways cars are designed, built and run forever.

Although some manufacturers, such as BMW with its Hydrogen 7, are developing vehicles to burn hydrogen within an internal combustion engine, Honda’s FCX uses hydrogen in a fuel cell to produce electricity to power a motor.

Honda’s V-Flow FC Stack combines hydrogen fuel with oxygen to create electricity via a chemical reaction. This powers an electric motor which delivers drive to the car’s wheels. Using only hydrogen as fuel relies on a chemical reaction rather than moving parts. It results in a true zero-harmful emissions vehicle (only water vapour is emitted from the exhaust).

When employed as part of a car’s powertrain, fuel cell technology is incredibly efficient at using energy. The V-Flow FC Stack in the Honda FCX Concept is 60 per cent efficient at using the energy value of its hydrogen fuel. To put that into perspective, a petrol-fuelled hybrid is 28 per cent efficient, while a petrol internal combustion engine is just 18 per cent efficient at using the fuel.

Due to their excellent efficiency, fuel cells generally have a longer range. Honda’s FCX Concept has a range of 354 miles with a full tank.

This is a totally new way of powering a vehicle with innovative technology – the ultimate alternative fuel solution. It could revolutionise the car design industry: fuel cell cars do not have to accommodate a sizeable and heavy combustion engine, and the associated cooling components. Plus, the FC Stack can be housed anywhere in the vehicle, allowing for a better centre of gravity and improved weight distribution.

Honda’s FCX cars are in commercial use in America and Japan, which means they have to go through the same stringent crash and safety tests as any other vehicle. As well as protecting occupants from front, side and rear impact, the FCX also features special impact-absorbing framework around the fuel cell system and high-pressure hydrogen tanks, to shield them during a collision.

However even Honda admits that as the technology is new, further testing still needs to be carried out. And despite all the potential advantages, for vehicles such as the FCX to be taken up widely, the development of a new hydrogen refuelling infrastructure will be required – something that currently appears to be a long way off in the UK.