Erin Baker – Record‑breaking in the hydrogen fuel cell powered future of motoring

Luckily, I encountered fairly free running traffic which was as well because I was part of a world record attempt, for the most miles covered by an FCV on one continuous run (you're allowed to stop for refuelling, but apart from that you simply drive round the clock). The record stood at 6,024 miles until we smashed it last week.

The car in question was one of Hyundai's ix35 fuel-cell cars. The record attempt was based at one of the country's six hydrogen fuelling stations on a perimeter road outside Heathrow. Driving the car one has the sense of being such an early adopter of this technology that there's a temptation to disregard it entirely and come back in a couple of years' time when the whole thing actually feels viable. Motorists stared at the "Tour de M25" and "Fuel cell technology" stickers covering the car like I was driving the Millennium Falcon (if only the ix35 had had that sort of acceleration – a fuel cell does not make for a speedy getaway).

In one sense, it seems utterly premature to be raising awareness of this technology when you're driving a LHD car because there are so few about that it's not viable to build RHD yet, you have to live near one of just six stations, and not stray too far from the hydrogen highway otherwise you won't be able to refuel, there are no forecasts available for residuals, and the owners of such cars are simply companies who need the PR stunt.

Why bother? Well, primarily because, behind the scenes, all car manufacturers are on the case. This technology is coming, it's already here in limited numbers and the targets for acceleration of the tech are rapidly approaching: by 2020, for example, there will be 65 hydrogen filling stations in the UK. And the fuel-cell vehicles out there – the ix35, the Toyota Mirai and Honda Clarity – don't drive like wacky concepts from outer space; they drive just like normal cars, with the same production values and the same interiors. In other words, the technology is here, in a car you'd recognise and be perfectly capable of driving right now, and we all need to get our heads round it because what comes out of the tailpipe is water, not respiratory-threatening noxious oxides.