WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Tom Petri took a spin Thursday in a General Motors prototype hydrogen car, and noted that its acceleration had improved over a prototype he had tried in 2003. "It's a beautiful new car, and it works pretty well," he said. "It doesn't quite have the pick-up of a regular car yet, but it's coming closer."

GM representative Keith Cole said that the next version of the car would go from zero to 60 in ten seconds, bringing it much closer to the performance of standard sedans.

Petri noted that President Bush backs the development of hydrogen-powered cars to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Hydrogen can be produced domestically from a wide variety of sources, and the only auto emission is water vapor, he said.

Currently, hydrogen fuel cells are too expensive and insufficiently durable, but GM hopes to develop the technology for an affordable hydrogen car by 2010. One significant stumbling block, Cole noted, is the need to build the infrastructure necessary to make hydrogen fuel easily available to drivers.

Rep. Tom Petri takes a test drive in a General Motors prototype hydrogen car.