The vice president of research, development and planning at automotive giant General Motors has hinted that cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells could be used in an innovative way to make the owner money whilst the car is stationary, according to fuelcellsworks.com.

According to Lawrence D Burns, once the hydrogen economy is firmly established and operational, consumers may one day forge eco-friendly agreements with local utility companies to use their vehicles to generate electricity.

"The idea is that each morning you'd leave home with a fully charged vehicle and then you'd go to work," Mr Burns said.

"You could plug the car in at work and use some of the hydrogen to generate electricity during peak periods of demand and get paid for having done that. And then you go back home and refill."

According to the General Motors executive, some auto parts supplier companies have already begun work on home appliances that can create hydrogen from electricity and water to power cars and trucks.

"Home refuelling will be great because you will give people decentralized control over how they are providing fuel for their vehicles," Mr Burns continued.

The GM research and development official did stress that the idea remained hypothetical at present, but said that such innovations only added to the attraction of the new "hydrogen economy".