Hydrogen fuel-cell powered cars will hit the city roads by spring 2012 through a trial in Leicester, as 30 of the cars will be leased to motorists under a 12-month pilot scheme, which will also involve Leicester and De Montfort universities. The reason for choosing Leicester is its manageable size, as it would only need one hydrogen fuel pump. The city will soon become a location for a Riversimple factory producing 5,000 cars a year, if the trial proves to be a success.

Riversimple Founder, Hugo Spowers delivered a speech at the car’s launch in Leicester yesterday. He 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”.

The cars’ environmental impact can be reduced by the leashing model, shared Riversimple Spokesperson, Charlie Burgess. Leasing system could also make driving cheaper, with costs estimated at around £200 a month plus fuel and with no initial outlay.

The fuel cell only needs to offer the smaller amount of power for cruising, as the ltracapacitors arrest waste energy from the brakes and reprocess it for accelerating

The weight of internal components is reduced with the help of smaller fuel cell and the removal of a gearbox and driveshafts.