It looks like your typical London Taxi but this one packs a secret under the bonnet. It is in fact powered by a fuel cell and manufactured under a collaborative agreement between Lotus, Intelligent Energy, TRW Conekt and LTI Vehicles. The intention is to have 20 of these vehicles up and running by the time the 2012 Olympics arrive.

The appearance of the black cab is near enough identical to the ones commonly seen traversing London's busy streets. Much of the technology is hidden underneath the chassis and in the boot of the black cab. It sports a hydrogen storage tank, fuel cell, battery and electric motors. This vehicle is infact a hydrogen-electric hybrid: the fuel cell provides the initial source of power whilst the battery provides additional "top up" power and is charged via regenerative braking.

With the exception of range the taxi compares favourably with it's more traditional counterpart:

• Top speed: 80mph
• 0-60mph time: 15.5 seconds (7 seconds faster than the traditional model)
• Range: 250 miles (gentle driving), 160 miles (aggressive driving)
• Power: The fuel cell provides 30kW, while the electric motor produces 55kW with a 100kW peak
• New rear suspension provided by Lotus

The taxi's fuel cell is provided by Intelligent Energy, who pioneered the first manned fuel cell aircraft flight. The vehicle is anticipated to be refuelled by any one of six London Hydrogen filling stations which will also be in place by the 2012 Olympics. The retail price is yet to be defined, but it is likely to be somewhat more expensive than the current Black cab.