Global auto manufacturers test hydrogen-fuelled cars

Washington: The United States seems to be in full steam to reduce vehicular emissions from its over 230 million cars. According to latest market data the country, which is yet to sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, is seriously considering hydrids, solar and hydrogen-powered cars.

At the frontline of green innovation then, are four companies Toyota, Honda, Ford and Tesla.

Toyota are headliners in this market with the company’s Prius electric-petrol Hybrid even managing to seduce   Holly-wood celebrities.

Leonardo DiCaprio drives one and the Japanese giant hopes many others would follow suit.

Honda, meanwhile, are hoping their “car of the future”, the FCX clarity gets more than just a handful of Hydrogen fuel pumps in the US.

In fact, the world has its money bet on the fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity with many motoring experts claiming ‘it is the one’.

 The car combines hydrogen and oxygen and after some more front-end sorcery, is able to move without emitting a single puff of carbon monoxide. In fact, it only emits water — H2O.

But the only thing that’s stopping the Clarity from putting the Arabs out of business is the cost of storing and processing hydrogen.

The United States has only 10 hydrogen pumps. But the outlook is hopeful as besides Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are mulling big leaps into fuel cell technology. This market rush, experts claim, could pressure government-backed innovation into delivering

But not everyone has give up on the sun to power their cars. The Ford C-MAX Solar Energi concept car, for example, has a rooftop covered in solar panels that could keep the car energised for a week. Ford has also developed a special canopy for the C-Max that constantly tracks the Sun’s journey across the sky. This, Ford claims, can get its car more solar ‘juice’ than normal solar-powered vehicles.

Ford is also looking at the ground for resources. The company has added an all-aluminium F-150 to its planet-saving blueprint.
The F-150 is one of Ford’s must successful models ever and this is probably the first time the “truck” has taken a shot at staving off global warming. With aluminium, F-150 owners can boost average fuel economy and can considerably cut down both consumption and expenditure.

But all of the above technology needs to rush if America plans to make a credible stand in the fight against pollution.

A recent statistic from the North Carolina State University. To see even the tiniest drop in quantities of key airborne pollutants, the US needs to turn  42 per cent of its 230 million vehicles into hyb-rids or solar cars.