The much awaited, hydrogen powered Honda FCX has finally hit the UK pavement (and we’re hoping Australia is next!). The car took to the London roads this week as part of a trial that the Japanese automaker hopes, will edify politicians and industry officials about its technological nuts and bolts.

The car will be offered to several media personalities and politicians this week, in efforts to promote hydrogen as an efficient, eco-friendly source of power. The trial process will also help Honda to decipher the demands the technology places on London’s infrastructure. At present there are no official plans to develop more substantial infrastructure in the United Kingdom (i.e. filling stations), however Honda hopes the trial may provoke this development.

According to the UK Secretary of State, Vince Cable who has already tried the car, “The Government is keen to encourage all forms of low carbon vehicle technology such as hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids or significantly more efficient conventional vehicle. This is part of our push to stimulate the market for green motoring and give consumers greater choice.”

The FCX Clarity emits no harmful exhaust gases and offers a good range (about 435km). Refueling periods are short and the performance is like a mid size sedan. Many have described the almost zero-emissions technology, as a great step forward for increasingly eco-conscious societies.

The new model is a normal production model amongst the Honda lineup in some American regions and Japan. Depending on the success of the trial, Australia could potentially be welcoming the new model sometime in the near future, however multiple hydrogen filling stations would need to be developed in order to support the technology.