The recent pioneering achievements of US aircraft giant Boeing were something of a world first in putting into the air a plane powered by a hydrogen-cell battery, but could also help to convince the masses of the benefits of a future hydrogen economy.
The widely publicised hydrogen flight made waves across the media as this almost historic moment captured the imagination of the waiting world, while similarly, the public perception of hydrogen as the first choice fuel of the future may have been enhanced by the opening of the first hydrogen fuel station in the UK at Birmingham University.
Such positive publicity could be essential if the successful adoption of a hydrogen infrastructure is to be implemented and favoured by the masses and the achievements of the Boeing team could well have gone a long way to driving this forward.
The Boeing test plane was a small, white prop-driven aircraft capable of carrying two people and flew at a speed of 100km (62 miles) an hour for about 20 minutes at an altitude of 1,000m (3,300 feet) using only the hydrogen battery for power and with just the pilot on board.
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