Hydrogen-fuelled cars 'may soon be a reality'

Modified insurance may soon be used to cover vehicles fuelled by hydrogen, thanks to new technology currently being developed that will allow the gas to be stored in a practical and cheap way.

Cella Energy - a new spin-out enterprise from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory - has been working with the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London to find a way of making micro-fibres that can contain as much hydrogen for specified weights as high pressure tanks currently utilised to store the gas.

It is hoped that the innovation will allow hydrogen to be used as a carbon-free petrol alternative, with lead scientist professor Stephen Bennington noting that "in some senses [it] is the perfect fuel".

He observed: "It has three times more energy than petrol per unit of weight and when it burns it produces nothing but water."

Cars could also soon be made of bananas and pineapples, as scientists at Sao Paolo State University in Brazil have discovered that fibres from these fruits can be used to create strong automotive plastics that may be seen in motors within the next two years.

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