London's Metropolitan Police is planning to introduce environmentally-friendly, hydrogen-fuelled police cars to its fleet in the coming years, a spokesman for the force told AFP on Sunday. The police force, Britain's largest, will take four of the vehicles in a delivery of 70 to the Greater London Authority due by 2010.
"In the longer term the Metropolitan Police Service continues to explore green options including hydrogen fuel cell cars," a spokesman for the Met said.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles have no emissions aside from a trickle of water which is released as vapour through the exhaust system.
The fuel-cell cars, still under development by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, are powered by electricity generated by a hydrogen-oxygen chemical reaction.
The Met currently has several hybrid gas-electricity powered cars among its fleet, and said on Sunday that it would add a further 117 Honda Civic Hybrids to that number.
The Honda hybrid, which will join the Toyota Prius hybrids and Vauxhall Astra LPG-petrol cars that the Met already uses, switch to electricity when travelling at less than 40 miles (64 kilometres) per hour.
The hybrids won't be used for patrols, however, as the Met will stick with diesel-powered cars for that purpose.
"Hybrid cars are part of the Metropolitan Police's contribution to a greener London, a goal we share with the wider public," said Stuart Middleton, the Met's Director of Transport Services.
