The nascent commercial fuel cell industry is beginning to blossom, with news emerging today that Hydrogenics has signed a vehicle research and development contract with John Deere.

The hydrogen fuel cell developer says the deal with John Deere is to develop commercially viable hydrogen-fuelled vehicles.

It was confirmed that Toronto-based Hydrogenics will collaborate with the US farm and heavy equipment giant under a five-year contract in the fields of fuel cell development and engineering.

Pierre Rivard, president and CEO of Hydrogenics, told the National Post he was pleased with the "innovative company" and claimed it was "leading the race in the electrification of their platforms".

Hydrogenics, whose HyPM modular power cells run on hydrogen, are hoping the contract will boost its offerings from prototypes to commercial products.

The company has collaborated with Deere on a previous venture, developing the Gator prototype small four-wheeled vehicle.

The deal is the latest indication of the growing commercialisation of the industry, with Honda today also winning approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for its fuel cell vehicle.