...in first major trial of green technology
It is the car that delivers the equivalent of 300 miles per gallon and produces water instead of exhaust fumes.
This pollution-free two-seater uses hydrogen to generate the power to drive its electric motors. Thirty of the cars, which have a top speed of 50mph and a range of 240miles on one tank of hydrogen, will be available to 'guinea-pig' motorists in 2012.
If the trial is successful the small company behind the car, Riversimple, hopes to make 5,000 of them a year.
A prototype of the Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car at De Montfort Hall in Leicester
However, as part of its plans to create a 'green' vehicle for cities, Riversimple will lease the cars rather than sell them. Drivers will pay ?200 a month and then 15p a mile as part of a business model similar to a mobile phone contract.
So far the company has spent around ?3m developing the technology and is trying to raise ?20m more to put the car into full production.
Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car
Length: 8ft 6 inches
Width: 4ft 9 inches
Height: 4ft 6 inches
Weight: 1/3 of a ton
Top speed: 50mph
Acceleration: 0 -30mph: 5.5 seconds
Range: 240 miles
Miles per gallon equivalent: 300mpg
Cost to lease: ?200 a month plus 15p a mile.
Fuel: hydrogen
Power generation: 'Fuel cell' - hydrogen reacts chemically at a membrane with oxygen, producing electricity and water, (H2O).
Emissions: pure water.
Electric motors: 4 - one driving each wheel of the car.
Gears: None. Direct drive.
Fuel cell power: six kilowatts - or about the same as three domestic kettles or six bars of an electric kettle - but super-efficient so little energy wasted.
Braking: Energy generated from braking is stored and re-used to save fuel consumption. This is called 'regenerative braking.'
The two-seater urban car accelerates from 0-30mph in 5.5 seconds. If the trials are successful, the company will consider building a factory in Leicester which would employ 250 people.
The project is being backed by relatives of Ernst Piech, the German family dynasty which founded Porsche and has a key role within Volkswagen.
The company has now signed a deal with Leicester City Council for a 12-month pilot which will see 30 of the cars rented out to private customers, businesses, car-share schemes and local government officials in the city.
Part of the project involves identifying suitable places for hydrogen pumps where drivers can actually refuel.
The technology powering the car works through a chemical reaction similar to traditional electrolysis experiments familiar to generations of schoolchildren.
The highly explosive hydrogen is not burned. Instead, the gas flows over a membrane in a special 'fuel cell' where the chemical reaction produce electricity, which in turn powers the electric motors on the wheels.
The only emissions out of the exhaust are pure water - from the hydrogen gas reacting with oxygen to produce H20 - and a little heat.
Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, said: 'The age of fossil-fuelled cars may not be over yet but it is surely dying.
'Contrary to what we usually hear, sustainable, near pollution-free transport is possible, here and now, using existing technology.'
Fuel cells work by turning hydrogen and oxygen into electricity - to power the car - and water
The company has also received backing from the new coalition Government backing. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: 'We need to harness cutting edge technology to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels if we are to tackle climate change.
'Nowhere is this more important than with passenger cars, which are responsible for almost 60per cent of domestic transport emissions.
'A radical transformation of our transport network is needed in the next 40 years and this is another great example of British innovation developing low carbon solutions to bring that about.'
The car, which weighs only 350kg, can recapture its own motion energy when braking, providing 80% of the power needed for acceleration.
Riversimple hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on motorways and for long journeys. By 2020, it plans to have tens of thousands of cars on British roads.
Councillor Abdul Osman, in charge of regeneration and transport at Leicester City Council, said: 'This hydrogen fuel-cell car is another example of revolutionary technology being used to meet future transport needs.
'This is yet another step in making Leicester a better place to live, and proposals to build the cars locally if the scheme proves successful could also mean a major jobs boost for the city.'
A close up view of the engine inside the car which uses clean hydrogen in a fuel cell rather than petrol
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It is the car that delivers the equivalent of 300 miles per gallon and produces water instead of exhaust fumes.
This pollution-free two-seater uses hydrogen to generate the power to drive its electric motors. Thirty of the cars, which have a top speed of 50mph and a range of 240miles on one tank of hydrogen, will be available to 'guinea-pig' motorists in 2012.
If the trial is successful the small company behind the car, Riversimple, hopes to make 5,000 of them a year.
A prototype of the Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car at De Montfort Hall in LeicesterHowever, as part of its plans to create a 'green' vehicle for cities, Riversimple will lease the cars rather than sell them. Drivers will pay ?200 a month and then 15p a mile as part of a business model similar to a mobile phone contract.
So far the company has spent around ?3m developing the technology and is trying to raise ?20m more to put the car into full production.
Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell car
Length: 8ft 6 inches Width: 4ft 9 inches
Height: 4ft 6 inches
Weight: 1/3 of a ton
Top speed: 50mph
Acceleration: 0 -30mph: 5.5 seconds
Range: 240 miles
Miles per gallon equivalent: 300mpg
Cost to lease: ?200 a month plus 15p a mile.
Fuel: hydrogen
Power generation: 'Fuel cell' - hydrogen reacts chemically at a membrane with oxygen, producing electricity and water, (H2O).
Emissions: pure water.
Electric motors: 4 - one driving each wheel of the car.
Gears: None. Direct drive.
Fuel cell power: six kilowatts - or about the same as three domestic kettles or six bars of an electric kettle - but super-efficient so little energy wasted.
Braking: Energy generated from braking is stored and re-used to save fuel consumption. This is called 'regenerative braking.'
The two-seater urban car accelerates from 0-30mph in 5.5 seconds. If the trials are successful, the company will consider building a factory in Leicester which would employ 250 people.
The project is being backed by relatives of Ernst Piech, the German family dynasty which founded Porsche and has a key role within Volkswagen.
The company has now signed a deal with Leicester City Council for a 12-month pilot which will see 30 of the cars rented out to private customers, businesses, car-share schemes and local government officials in the city.
Part of the project involves identifying suitable places for hydrogen pumps where drivers can actually refuel.
The technology powering the car works through a chemical reaction similar to traditional electrolysis experiments familiar to generations of schoolchildren.
The highly explosive hydrogen is not burned. Instead, the gas flows over a membrane in a special 'fuel cell' where the chemical reaction produce electricity, which in turn powers the electric motors on the wheels.
The only emissions out of the exhaust are pure water - from the hydrogen gas reacting with oxygen to produce H20 - and a little heat.
Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, said: 'The age of fossil-fuelled cars may not be over yet but it is surely dying.
'Contrary to what we usually hear, sustainable, near pollution-free transport is possible, here and now, using existing technology.'
Fuel cells work by turning hydrogen and oxygen into electricity - to power the car - and waterThe company has also received backing from the new coalition Government backing. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said: 'We need to harness cutting edge technology to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels if we are to tackle climate change.
'Nowhere is this more important than with passenger cars, which are responsible for almost 60per cent of domestic transport emissions.
'A radical transformation of our transport network is needed in the next 40 years and this is another great example of British innovation developing low carbon solutions to bring that about.'
The car, which weighs only 350kg, can recapture its own motion energy when braking, providing 80% of the power needed for acceleration.
Riversimple hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on motorways and for long journeys. By 2020, it plans to have tens of thousands of cars on British roads.
Councillor Abdul Osman, in charge of regeneration and transport at Leicester City Council, said: 'This hydrogen fuel-cell car is another example of revolutionary technology being used to meet future transport needs.
'This is yet another step in making Leicester a better place to live, and proposals to build the cars locally if the scheme proves successful could also mean a major jobs boost for the city.'
A close up view of the engine inside the car which uses clean hydrogen in a fuel cell rather than petrol-----------------------------------------------------------------
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