Hydrogen-powered cars could be a common sight in company car parks by the 2020s, according to an industry expert.

However, the fleet industry should not expect government intervention to help fund a hydrogen infrastructure until safety and viability of the clean fuel is proven, according to Dr Peter Pearson, director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology at Imperial College London.

Speaking at a seminar entitled 'Overcoming Barriers to the New Hydrogen Economy', Dr Pearson said: "Governments are unlikely to get directly involved in financing major infrastructure.

"And the finance sector will be reluctant to lend money until hydrogen has a proven track record. It is likely to fall to industry - mainly the energy companies - to finance it, most likely off balance sheet or through raising share capital."

The Imperial College is in the process of completing a three-year study into the feasibility of running hydrogen buses in London, and it will present its findings to Mayor Ken Livingstone this year, reports Fleet News.

Dr Pearson added: "The technology exists but the Mayor and his colleagues will have to consider the cost, as hydrogen vehicles are expensive at the moment.

"Assuming it happens, a fleet of buses with combustion engines running on hydrogen will be an important further step towards vehicles with this power source becoming widely accepted."