The hydrogen economy in Norway has been given a boost with the announcement of new funding for green transport group Think Norway.

The group is to receive €1.35 million over the next three years from the Research Council of Norway to fund further research and development into fuel cell technology

"This grant will allow Think Nordic to reinforce its position as a leader in environmentally friendly transportation," said the group's chief executive, Christopher Neal.

The money will partially fund the development and construction of a prototype fuel cell/electric hybrid vehicle, to be worked on with partners Raufoss Fuel Systems.

The car has been dubbed "TH!NK", and contains batteries which give it a 150 km range, along with a hydrogen fuel cell that charges the batteries while the car is being driven. The hydrogen tank also doubles the driving range to 300 km.

It is also user-friendly, with drivers able to charge the batteries from a simple plug in the wall or easily fill the tank with hydrogen.

The grant from the Research Council will help fund the development and construction of a single TH!NK prototype vehicle over the coming year.

The companies have also announced plans to build a further five vehicles in 2006 and 15 by 2007.