The car – based on the American Highlander SUV – has already been tested in real-world conditions in California and has now been entered in the Brighton to London Future Car Challenge, running alongside Toyota’s Prius and Auris petrol-electric hybrids.

Toyota says that the FCHV-adv represents its latest development of hybrid fuel cell technology, which delivers emissions-free running and the kind of performance that measures up to standard petrol or diesel-powered vehicles. Its four high-pressure tanks have a combined capacity of 156 litres, giving a potential cruising range of more than 500 miles. It also shows the potential to use hybrid as a core technology for engineering different low or zero-emissions powertrains.

Five FCHV-adv will be running in Germany next year as part of the Clean Energy Partnership’s project to promote sustainable transport. The initiative, supported by Toyota as an international auto partner, will also see hydrogen filling stations opened and a fuel supply network put in place.

The FCHV-adv will be brought to market from 2015.