Hydrogen appeared to have fallen behind electricity and biofuels in the green car race – but now a report by the Associated Press suggests it may soon be back in the running.
Israeli scientists and entrepreneurs have reportedly brought hydrogen energy a step closer by putting it into smaller, lighter containers.
Instead of using metal or composite cylinders of compressed gas, they will instead pack the hydrogen into glass filaments that are only slightly thicker than human hair. These glass capillaries are bundled into a glass tube called a capillary array, which is about the width of a drinking straw. Around 11,000 of these arrays will fuel a car for 240miles taking less than half the space and weight of tanks currently installed in the few hydrogen cars on the market.
The system was unveiled in Berlin at the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing.
Its backers have labelled the technology a breakthrough, but it will need a large injection of capital to scale up investment.
