General Motors (GM) vice president of research and development has predicted fuel cells will become an important competitor for mainstream cars within a decade.

Dr Lawrence Burns was speaking as he visited GM's fuel cell research centre in Honeoye Falls, followed by a visit to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)'s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

There he told the local media and television teams the rising price of petrol would propel alternative transport technologies into the spotlight, with research and development centres playing a key role in finding the next generation solution, reports WHEC-TV10.

"We think we can create a more exciting car. We think we can create a car that's going to be more affordable," he said.

He pinpointed performance, acceleration, range, and efficacy in cold and hot temperatures as the first hurdles, which he said had largely been overcome thanks to innovation.

The key, he argued, was now to tackle the finances surrounding the new system.

"It can't cost more than a gasoline engine or we won't sell in high volume. We believe we have a roadmap to meet that target. We have to prove it out," he admitted.

Dr Burns anticipates fuel cell cars being available form dealerships by 2015.


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