EU extends hydrogen push after city bus success��Science��Reuters.co.uk

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A pilot program has shown hydrogen-powered city buses work well without polluting the environment, the European Commission said on Thursday, extending its push to promote emission-free vehicles.
Twenty-seven public buses running in nine European cities since mid-2003 have carried more than 4 million people and clocked up more than 1 million km without incident, it noted.
"The question is no longer whether this technology works, but when will it be competitive," EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a statement.
A new 105-million-euro ($134 million) project will track the performance of around 200 hydrogen-powered vehicles and the infrastructure needed to keep them running.
The EU will contribute 48 million euros to the public-private program that will put hydrogen-powered buses, cars, scooters and even wheelchairs to work on three continents.
German carmaker DaimlerChrysler is at the forefront in hydrogen technology, currently testing vehicles out in the field.