Canal boats happen to be one among the popular tourist attractions of Amsterdam even today. No wonder the city sees over 100 canal cruises each day, which makes it more important to find greener ways of doing it. To initiate this drive, the Amsterdam canal saw its first fuel cell powered canal boat, the “Nemo H2? make its debut cruise through its waters on 9th December 2009.

Comprising a capacity to seat 87 passengers, the boat is the first of its kind to use the fuel cell engine technology for propagation. The cells fuelled by hydrogen and oxygen generate electric power and emit only water vapor into the surroundings in contrast to the traditional ones which emit harmful gases. To finance the further research on this carbon-reducing technology, programs like the “CO2 Zero Canal Cruise” would be starting from the spring under which, an extra 50 Euro cents would be charged to the visitors.

Like it’s said, we must take the bad with the good; the boat has its share of flaws. It needs to be recharged daily at a hydrogen dispensing station and costs double the price needed to build the regular boats which would otherwise settle for weekly refills. However, the researchers assume that the cost would justify when the production begins to rise with further development of hydrogen distribution.

Via GreenPacks