by David Ross (14 Jul 08)

It's a delight to drive, swift, responsive, eerily quiet and, with no clutch or gears to concern the driver, Renault's fuel cell Grand Scenic ZEV, for Zero Emissions Vehicle, is just about as relaxing as any car can be. But its best feature is that you sail past petrol stations and laugh at the soaring prices, because this car uses neither petrol or diesel, just hydrogen, and all it emits is water.

That's because the power unit that's become the holy grail of environmentalists and motor manufacturers the world over is here now, and I've just driven it. But don't be misled into believing the fuel cell Scenic I drove recently is hydrogen powered. You fuel it with hydrogen but that is then converted into electricity by the fuel cell so it's really an electric car that never needs recharging.

The great plus was that everything about this prototype seemed absolutely normal, the power steering was light yet communicative, the brakes strong and progressive and, thank goodness in the heat of a French summer day, the air-conditioning worked a treat.

So, if it's here now and works so well, why doesn't Renault offer us a fuel cell Scenic and save us from bankruptcy brought on by frequent visits to the petrol pumps?

Largely because we don't have the required network of hydrogen pumps and because, while the rest of the car is no more expensive to make than today's Scenic, the fuel cell, or stack, costs a fortune – but Renault and Alliance partner Nissan are working on it. And, according to recent reports, Honda has managed to make it at reasonable cost as is now selling fuel cell cars in California.

Why use a Scenic? As Patrick-Henri Gerard, head of Renault's fuel cell development said, "We wanted to compare our fuel cell car directly with a normal diesel model and, as you can see, it emerges with distinction."

True. There's little external difference, other than a larger air intake for greater cooling and a raised ride height as so much of the new technology is lodged underneath. Inside, it's much as before with five, not seven, seats and only a slight intrusion into the luggage space.

Renault admits the fuel cell car is some way off but, as petrol and diesel prices rise inexorably, development will be speeded up. So, unfortunately, we can't hold up two fingers to the oil barons just yet but, in the meantime, Renault is working on "downsizing", or fitting highly efficient new small engines in place of big ones, losing none of the performance but gaining on emissions and fuel economy.

Renault is also pressing ahead with a range of plug-in electric vehicles which will soon be sold in Israel and Denmark. As with most electric vehicles, these require recharging but a tie-up with a company called Project Better Place will see a power-point network in place soon. But for me, the best news is that the future of motoring doesn't look nearly as dull and boring as I thought it might.

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