Car manufacturer Hyundai is working with a German hydrogen refuelling company to raise the European profile of fuel cells, hoping to market the technology within ten years.

Linde AG, specialising in the design of hydrogen production plants, has developed a mobile refuelling station capable of dispensing the gas in both liquid and gas form.

The station has been used in collaboration with Hyundai to promote the benefits of hydrogen, which can power vehicles without producing any harmful emissions.

Many experts anticipate that fuel cells represent the future of the automotive industry, removing the need for fossil fuels in transport. Analysts also expect that the fuel cell market will capture ten per cent of the motor industry by 2025 and more than half by 2040.

Working with Linde, Hyundai hopes to mass produce affordable hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2015, possibly even by 2010, according to Automotive News.

Linde predicts that carmakers will begin producing fuel cell-powered cars for public consumption by 2012.

Hyundai is currently trialling 32 fuel cell designs in Korea and the United States and has plans to expand its fleet, according to company executives.

Platinum catalysts are used in fuel cell technology, allowing the reaction between hydrogen fuel and oxygen to take place, which produces energy.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd