In an unexpected U-turn, the U.S. Senate has agreed to continue to back research for the next generation of hydrogen cars - funding that the Obama administration had earlier proposed to cut.

The move came last Thursday as Senate members voted to commit $187 million to hydrogen research, almost as much as was promised before the indecision.

Don’t hold your breath for the transition to a bold hydrogen future just yet though; industry insiders claim that before hydrogen cars can become widespread the government may need to pump in up to an astonishing $55 billion more in additional funding to pay for research and subsidies to build fueling stations.

They’ve certainly got a long way to go - it is estimated that fewer than 200 hydrogen vehicles are currently operating in the U.S. Still, who was it that said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step…

Image Credit - ideowl on flickr

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0