The world’s first hydrogen driven motorsport race took place this weekend the BBC report. The Formula Zero championship took place in Rotterdam with go-kart teams from around Europe taking part. Each go-kart was operated by commercial fuel cell technology which converts hydrogen into electricity.

A Spanish team won the award for the fastest lap, but the Dutch walked away with the honour of winning the endurance race.

Greg Offer, of the British team ‘Imperial Racing Green’ told the BBC that hydrogen racing would not compromise on the excitement traditional racing offered;

“With a combustion engine, you have to reach three or four thousand rev[olutions per minute] to get your peak power. With an electric vehicle, it’s all there from standing, and they’re more efficient.”

Zero emissions, hydrogen fuel cell cars now on the road in the U.S.

The first Honda FCX Clarity customers have taken delivery of their zero emission cars in California. Up to 200 customers will begin leasing the fuel cell vehicles in the United States and Japan over the next three years.

Film director Ron Yerxa was the first customer to get the keys to an FCX Clarity, followed by actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, Christopher Guest.

“I really wasn’t expecting it to be so luxurious,” said Curtis. “I love the interior layout, design and access to controls. It is user friendly and very modern.”

The FCX Clarity is Honda’s next generation, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. Driven by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated by a fuel cell, the car’s only emissions are heat and water. Its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern petrol engine.

 The expansion of hydrogen fuel continues as another US state welcomes a refuelling station.

The first hydrogen refuelling station in Missouri has just opened in Rolla. It is located at the Missouri University of Science and Technology’s E3 Commons Development and is supplied by Linde. Linde is supplying fuel cell-grade gaseous hydrogen on behalf of the Gas Technology Institute, which partnered with the university to create the station.

Coincidentally, at the same time the station was opened, there was a Hydrogen Road Tour held by the US Department of Transport, the Department of Energy, the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the National Hydrogen Association. As part of the tour Linde provided liquid hydrogen to fuel BMW’s Hydrogen 7 Series vehicles. A total of nine car manufacturers competed in the event.

According to a report by Green Car Congress, Linde will also be providing technical support to the Institute and will help to ensure the safety and efficiency of the refuelling station.

 The green car race continues and now South Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kia has expressed its desire to get in on the act.

According to a statement made on Monday, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group will pour $1.1billion into research and development this year, and will hire around 4,500 new staff in an effort to make South Korea one of the world’s top four green car producing nations. On Friday, President Lee Myung-bak held a Liberation Day in which he outlined plans to overhaul the industry and make it more eco-friendly.

Hyundai is set to produce a hybrid Avante compact model next year along with a midsize natural gas hybrid in 2010. Its sister company Kia will begin production of hydrogen cars in 2012 and will aim to commercialise mid-size and large SUV models based on fuel cells by 2010.

As part of the project, Hyundai is likely to invest around 2.7billion won and hire around 600 financial specialists for its investment and security sectors. It is also going to introduce a youth volunteer group with membership of around 1,000.

 A fuel cell vehicle has been put through its paces at the world famous Nurburgring - and has passed the test with flying colours.

A member of the Nissan 24 Hours Nurburgring race team and Nordschleife aficionado put the X-Trail FCV to the test on standard street tyres through the 20.8km long course which was consistently wet throughout and has often been described as ‘Green Hell’.

The results left even the driver surprised, as he described the vehicle as ‘just like a normal car’.

In fact, the X-Trail is far from conventional as it is a zero-emission electric vehicle that runs in near silence. The electricity is produced on board the vehicle in a hydrogen fuel cell stack, and is generated via an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Its only emission therefore, is water vapour.

Despite its environmental credentials, the X-Trail has some impressive statistics with a top speed of 150km/h and a range of 500km.

The vehicle is also one of the first to feature lithium-ion batteries which boost power under acceleration, with kinetic energy created under deceleration stored for later use. Lithium-ion batteries are said to vastly improve the capabilities of electric vehicles with higher top speeds and a more extensive range.

 London has long appeared to be an epicentre of environmental activity with former mayor Ken Livingstone introducing the London Congestion Charge which forced drivers to think green or pay the price. However, new mayor Boris Johnson has other ideas.

Mr Johnson has thrown a roadblock in the way of the progression of hydrogen vehicles by cancelling an order Mr Livingstone had placed for 60 hydrogen vehicles, according to a report by analysts in the London office of Boston-based Global Insight economic consulting.

The scheme was intended to be England’s largest hydrogen transport project to date and was expected to boost interest in hydrogen vehicles such as cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters worldwide while prompting increased demand for hydrogen refueling stations.

However, now Mr Johnson will only accept 10 hydrogen buses ordered by his predecessor after deciding that the 60 smaller prototype fuel-cell vehicles would not create a stimulus in the market for hydrogen powered vehicles.

Expense is also believed to be a major issue. The 10 buses alone are expected to cost about £1million each - and Mr Johnson does not have enough faith in the smaller prototypes to believe they are worth such significant expenditure.

Do you think that Boris Johnson is right to put the brakes on these hydrogen vehicles? Let us know your thoughts.

The launch of Honda’s FCX Clarity saloon which runs on hydrogen, has everyone thinking about green motoring. But hydrogen is a highly flammable lighter-than-air gas that sets alarm bells ringing with drivers and insurance companies alike.

So it’s not surprising that most insurance companies fight shy of insuring vehicles with a boot full of highly explosive gas. However Adrian Flux Insurance Services is well known for offering cover on vehicles that other insurers won’t touch and is already getting enquiries from customers about insuring hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“There certainly is a lot of interest in hydrogen cars at the moment,” says Gerry Bucke of Adrian Flux.

“Some people can’t wait for these cars to be commercially available – they’ve jumped on the hydrogen band-wagon and are having a go at DIY conversion kits. In fact we’ve already insured one. It was built with a DIY kit that the chap bought off Ebay to convert his own motor!”

The Honda Clarity was on show at the British International Motor Show in July 2008 so Flux expects to a lot more calls from people who want to insure hydrogen-powered cars.

“Although we have insured this one, I’d advise caution when dealing with kits,” warns Bucke. “Some tend to be a bit unstable but professional factory-built kits properly installed should be fine.

“As for cost, we’ve found they don’t cost much more than a regular car to insure. We expect the premiums to be only about 5% higher.”

 What would it take for you to abandon your car altogether and head for public transport? According to a new survey, petrol prices have a long way to go before we turn our backs on our favourite mode of transport.

Research by esure car insurance reveals that the average petrol price in the UK is now £1.15 a litre, but despite this the average British motorist would wait for prices to hit £1.75 a litre before turning to public transport. Instead, more than a fifth of the drivers surveyed said they would be willing to pay more than £2 a litre to stay on the road.

Despite these statistics, fuel prices are an increasing cause for concern. According to esure, 76 per cent of those surveyed stated they worry about rising fuel prices now more than ever. Yet nearly half of the motorists quizzed (47 per cent) said they would never consider substituting their car for public transport no matter how expensive fuel prices become.

Young people are the most frugal with their finances when it comes to paying at the pump - petrol prices would have to rise to £1.65 per litre for them to consider substituting their car for public transport - 10p per litre below the national average.

Green cars could provide the long-term solution - allowing people to use less fuel and in the case of electric and hydrogen cars, even no petroleum at all. If you want tips on how to keep your fuel consumption down in the meantime, check out our guide.

 Scientists in Australia have made a significant breakthrough in the design of fuel cells for the latest generation of hybrid cars, by using a cloth material that could make them cheaper and more reliable than ever before.

According to a report in the journal Science, the fuel cell is coated in a form of Goretex, which is used for outdoor clothing material. Scientists believe it holds great promise for the motoring industry as it removes the need for platinum, which acts as a catalyst and is currently central to the manufacturing process.

The team of scientists, based at Monesh University in Australia, have designed and tested an air-electrode where a thin layer of highly conductive plastic is deposited on to the fabric. The plastic then acts as both the electrode and the catalyst. Effectively, it breathes oxygen into the fuel cell and comes into contact with the plastic.

Representatives from the university believe the work is significant - even going as far as to describe it is as the most important development in fuel cell technology in the last 20 years.

The cost of platinum is currently prohibitive in a small car with the cost of a 100Kw electric engine currently higher than a 100Kw petroleum engine. It is also estimated that current annual production of platinum is only enough for around three million 100Kw vehicles - less than one twentieth of the current global production of vehicles.

These tests therefore are crucial in finding an alternative which could ultimately offer a fuel cell design that is both more economical and more easily sourced, while being just as effective.

 Hydrogen powered vehicles are seen as the green cars of the future - but that future may be closer than we all expect.

Stateside, hydrogen refuelling stations have started to emerge but have been predominantly found in the California area. Now however, they have spread as far as Massachusetts, as Nevera Fuel Cells unveils a station in the state on August 11.

The station will be located at the company’s headquarters in Billerica, which is separate from a hydrogen refuelling station that can be found at Logan Airport as part of the Federal Transport Authority’s hydrogen bus project. The station has been designed to refuel forklifts, but will also provide power for the research labs and the nine hydrogen powered cars which are set to take part in the Hydrogen Road Tour, which will also take place on August 11.

The station uses onsite steam reformation of natural gas and includes an electric-driven hydrogen compressor, a cascade storage system, an indoor or outdoor dispenser and a fuel processor.

It is expected that the unit at Billerica will produce around 50kg of hydrogen a day.