OREANDA-NEWS. May 22, 2012. SSE Chief Executive, Ian Marchant, took the next generation of zero emission vehicles for a spin at the company's HQ as the latest hydrogen fuel cell car drove into the city for the first time.

The Hyundai ix35 fuel cell electric vehicle is the European Commission’s official demonstration vehicle to test and promote hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are seen as a step forward from conventional electric vehicles as they emit zero carbon emissions boasting similar levels of performance to petrol and diesel cars.

SSE, the UK's leading generator of renewable electricity, is interested in the development of hydrogen as a transport fuel as it can be produced from renewable electricity and is also key to the UK's plans for a low carbon transport system.

Furthermore, SSE is also currently involved in the UK Hydrogen Mobility project (UKH2Mobility) which will asses the timescales and costs of rolling out the necessary public infrastructure, such as re-fuelling stations, to coincide with the anticipated commercial launch of hydrogen fuelled cars in 2015.

SSE Chief Executive, Ian Marchant, said: “I'm delighted to be able to get this rare chance to test drive what is sure to become the future of motoring in the UK. Also as a major generator and distributor of electricity, this car also reinforces the essential role we need to play in the creation of hydrogen as a fuel and the development of re-fuelling stations in order to make the commercial roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell cars a reality.”

David Densley, SSE's Head of Sustainable Transport, added: “Although electric vehicles are here now, hydrogen is definitely a fuel of the future and vehicles like this, which boast excellent performance and energy efficiency credentials, show that they’ll soon have a real presence on our roads.”

Councillor Ian Miller, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council, said: “It’s exciting to see these zero emission vehicles matching the performance of conventional combustion cars.  No doubt they will play a significant role in the creation of low carbon communities with their commercial launch not too far away.”

In vehicles such as the Hyundai ix35 FCEV, the hydrogen is passed through a fuel cell, producing electricity to power the car emitting only water vapour, making it an exceptionally clean fuel. It can move from 0 to 62 mph in 14 seconds, has a top speed of around 100 mph and can achieve a driving range of 326 miles on a single fuelling – providing more peace of mind on travel distance than the conventional electric vehicle.