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Honda is planning to release a hydrogen-powered car in March 2016 that, in an emergency, could even power your house.

The clean-energy car called the FCV, which emits only water as a waste product, will have a range of 300 miles (480km) and seating for up to five people

But problems with hydrogen fuel, such as a lack of infrastructure to support a nationwide fleet of cars, will need to be solved before the technology is adopted.

Japanese company Honda has unveiled its new FCV concept car (artist's illustration shown). The vehicle runs solely on hydrogen fuel and will be released in March 2016. Hydrogen fuel is desirable because it only emits water and heat. The zero-emission fuel is heralded as a replacement for petrol one day

Hydrogen fuel has been heralded as the future of automobiles, and possibly leading to a 'hydrogen economy' where many things run on the element, as it is a zero-emission fuel.

Cars employing the fuel use electrochemical cells or combustion to turn it into heat, with the only by-product being water.

Many car manufacturers have been toying with the idea of hydrogen cars including Toyota and BMW.

And now Honda's latest effort, the successor to their FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel car, will soon be on its way.

There is no news yet on the price of the car or what its top speed will be, but the release date of March 2016 in Japan is known.

Honda says a release in the US and Europe will then follow. 

The car has a power output of more than 100kW and an increased 'power density' of 60 per cent over its predecessor.

This gives the car its impressive range of 300 miles (480km).

The FCV also apparently has an external power feeder than, during an emergency, could be used to power an entire home. 

The clean-energy car called the FCV (illustration shown), which emits only water as a waste product, will have a range of 300 miles (480km) and seating for 'up to five' people

Honda's newly announced FCV Concept vehicle will be the successor to the FCX Calrity, seen here being refuelled at the UK's first open access hydrogen vehicle refuelling station in Swindon in 2011

The vehicle can be refuelled in just three to five minutes, although the specialist hydrogen-fuel is not widely available at stations yet.

Hydrogen itself is also a bit of a problem. Although it is widely billed as a potential replacement for petrol, pure hydrogen does not occur naturally on Earth.

This means it needs to be made via other means, such as using methane, but the process is complicated.

And attempts to replicate the process using renewable sources have proven to be expensive.

Nonetheless, car manufacturers are banking on hydrogen ultimately becoming a major source of fuel in the future, and Honda especially is keen to stay at the front of the game.

'Honda has led the industry for nearly two decades in the development and deployment of fuel-cell technology through extensive real-world testing, including the first government fleet deployment and retail customer leasing program,' the company said in a statement.

'Since the introduction of its first generation fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX, in 2002, Honda has made significant technological advancements in fuel-cell vehicle operation in both hot and sub-freezing weather while meeting customer expectations and safety regulations.'