Imagine the cleanest hybrid you can think of…a car that uses only air and hydrogen to run and produces as a byproduct, along with a little heat…water! It has zero emissions, and looks and feels like a normal car, able to start in fairly intense cold or hot temperatures and witha range comparable to the vehicles we are used to. Is this possible? It’s probable, actually, according to the latest in the fuel cell technology, discussed at this year’s international conference on fuel cells in Vancouver, BC.

Although car manufactureres – from Daimler-Benz to Ford to Honda – and fuel cell developers alike admit that the technology is slower and more expensive to get to market than originally anticipated, all concur that it is the way of the future.

With the grave financial challenges facing many auto manufacturers, hybrid technology in general has been put on the backburner. However, there is no denying that whether its electric, battery or fuel cell, hybrid and other forms of enviornmentally friendly cars are a must. As consumers demand more eco-friendly products in every genre, vehicle producers must provide options and their R&D departments must continue to evolve the technologies to make them viable alternatives.

According to experts, the major automakers ‘are still sure hydrogen fuel cells represent the best long-term answer for reducing carbon dioxide emissions’ as of the beginning of 2009.

While many companies have worked on fuel cell technology, the excessive cost along with challenges in creating fuel cells which are small enough not to be intrusive (some prototypes have the cell pack in the center console betweenthe two front seats), there is progress being made by those who have kept at it. Cost and size savings, therefore, are the two issues driving hydrogen fuel cell research and development.

Auto industry experts claim that ‘even if carbon-based sources such as natural gas or biomass are used to produce the hydrogen, fuel cells are more energy efficient and produce far less CO2 than hybrids or plug-in, battery-powered vehicles,’ and this means that what we’re looking at multiple options for the fuel that drives fuel cells. It’s a very exciting time in enviromentally-friendly vehicle development.

At the moment, several on-road versions are being tested by real people in California, leased by dealerships so that everyone from providers to consumers can discover the real-life benefits and drawbacks for research purposes.