A senior US representative has called for America to end its "half-hearted attempts" to reduce dependency on oil and claimed that fuel cell technology and its infrastructure is much nearer commercial reality than widely thought.

Rep Zach Wamp, who represents Tennessee's 3rd District, said that Freedom Car, a hydrogen fuel cell initiative begun by President Bush, should be the first step in concerted effort to deliver a fully functional hydrogen economy.

"Now, more than ever, it is imperative for us to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," he told Knox News.

"We have a long way to go before we have a hydrogen car in every garage, but we must stay focused and committed to this objective," he added.

Mr Wamp argued that the technology now needed economic support, with mass production potentially bringing down the cost of fuel cell technology, enabling a transition to the clean energy sooner rather than later.

He claimed that the price of producing a fuel cell stack could drop to as little as $3,500 per unit - a price which he held up as evidence of the "competitive marketability" of hydrogen fuel cell cars.

"We do not yet have the infrastructure in place to transport hydrogen, and performance is not yet optimal. But we are closer than many might think," he concluded.

Mr Wamp says he is now lobbying Congress, and government procurement programs and fleets of all kinds to move the technology forward.