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Hindenburg fears hinder hydrogen fuel cells use

Such perceptions represent one of the biggest hurdles for Toyota and Shell as they seek to make hydrogen fuel cells a commercial alternative to petrol-powered cars

Published Tue, Feb 28, 2017 · 09:50 PM

Hydrogen

London

TAXI driver Theo Ellis, the first person in Europe to drive Toyota Motor Corp's hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan for business, loves telling passengers about the technology that emits nothing but water.

They ask him about its costs, greenness, and the majority inquire about safety. To his passengers, the word "hydrogen" evokes memories of the Hindenburg, the airship that was destroyed in half a minute when it caught fire in 1937, or the H-bomb, a successor to what the US dropped on Japan to end World War II.

"That w…