September sees a significant anniversary for me, so I hope you will indulge me a little. It marks 20 years since I first wrote an article predicting that hydrogen fuel cells would be widely available in five years' time. Those five years came, and those five years went, and I have still to see a practical fuel cell in an everyday situation. Perhaps I shouldn't complain, as it means this is the fifth time I've been able to revisit the subject, and score another beer token as a result, but I can't help feeling a little let down. In case you hadn't noticed, we're living in the future and we still don't have flying cars or holidays on the moon, let alone clean, cheap and unlimited power supplies. Some 21st century this is turning out to be. In those 20 years, the five-year prediction has remained almost unmoved-although there are recent reports that Honda, Toyota, and Daimler reckon that 2015 might see the new dawn. I'll believe it when I see it. Last month I found myself spending a few days at a proving ground somewhere in England, presented with the challenge of testing over three dozen of the most advanced, powerful, and fuel-efficient cars available to buy today. None of them was powered by a fuel cell, although two were diesel/electric hybrids. While these do seem to make a minor contribution to saving the planet, I can't believe that this technology is anything more than a stepping-stone to properly green transport.
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