Shropshire firm unveils 30 hydrogen test cars

A Shropshire company will today unveil 30 hydrogen fuel-cell powered cars which will be taking to the roads of the county from next year.

Riversimple, a Ludlow-based sustainable car company, has signed a ground-breaking deal that will see the cars test-driven on the roads and streets of Shropshire and Herefordshire in 2012/13 in a year-long pilot scheme.

The car, which is made of lightweight composites and weighs 350kg, will have a maximum cruising speed of 50mph and will run at the equivalent of 300 miles per gallon. It will have a range on one tank of hydrogen of at least 200 miles.

The search is now on to find residents and organisations to test drive the vehicles and to find places for suitable refuelling points.

Riversimple's two-seat vehicle has already been seen by thousands of people – the prototype is a centrepiece of the Science Museum in London's climate change exhibition.

Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, said: "Like it or not, the age of the fossil fuelled car is nearing its end and for places like Herefordshire and Shropshire to be pioneers as we look to the future is gratifying."

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said: "This is an exciting development for Ludlow."