Fuel cells and hybrid engines.

Vehicles powered by fuel cells may well prove to be of great benefit to the environment. Shell are fully behind the move and have invested in a technology partnership with Daimler and Ballard to promote the development of vehicles using fuel cells.

The Shell technology is called Partial Catalytic Oxidation. This technology allows a vehicle to run on hydrocarbon mixtures such as LPG as well as the hydrogen cell.

Fuel cell technology is still several years away from mass production. In the meantime, we have a major air quality problem that needs a solution.

Hybrids are a very expensive technology that can make an impact in the area of cleaner air. Hybrid engines are electrically assisted gasoline engines which aim to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

Several large manufacturers including Ford, General Motors and Toyota have announced they will offer mass produced cars using hybrid technology within the next five years.

It is worth noting that in a comparison between the year 2000 VCA data and an informal test by BMW (source Cleaner Fuels Task Force- UK report) the Toyota Prius (using hybrid engine technology) is not significantly cleaner for NOx than the LPG Vauxhall Vectra.