General Motors and Shell Hydrogen have announced plans to bring hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the hydrogen stations required to support them to the streets of New York.

GM will be providing 13 fuel cell-powered vehicles, while Shell Hydrogen will establish the first hydrogen service station in the New York City metropolitan area in 2006.

The move is part of plans for the US Department of Energy's Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation project.

GM vice president of research and development Larry Burns explained that the roll-out of hydrogen-powered cars was a critical first step towards creating a sustainable future.

"This fleet will put New York in the forefront on the road to a future in which our vehicles, industries, and economy are energised by hydrogen," Mr Burns said.

"Today, automobiles are 98 per cent dependent on petroleum. Because hydrogen can be obtained from a wide variety of feedstocks, including renewable sources, it has the potential to reduce our petroleum dependence substantially."

Fuel cells using hydrogen also only emit water and thereby help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Jeremy Bentham, Shell Hydrogen's CEO, also underlined the importance of creating the infrastructure needed to ensure the transition to hydrogen powered cars.

He stated: "The only way the hydrogen economy will be realised is having not only fuel cell vehicles, but also convenient places to refuel."