Toyota, Honda and Hyundai will debut hydrogen fuel cell cars this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and Tokyo Motor Show, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Hyundai's vehicle will hit American showrooms in 2014, while the other two brands will introduce fuel cell models a year later. All three models will have a driving range of at least 300 miles, substantially more than most battery-using electric cars, which run for 75 miles on average.
The show debuts are "a coming out party for hydrogen," John Krafcik, chief executive of Hyundai Motor America, said.
Toyota's fuel cell car, which will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, "has the same potential as the first Prius," said Bill Fay, general manager of Toyota's United States sales.
Debuting about 10 years ago, the Prius has since become the most popular hybrid in the U.S. and the bestselling car in California.
As more automakers work to lower emissions, the hydrogen fuel cell-powered car could be the next big thing. The vehicle runs on electricity that is created from hydrogen, driving as quietly as an electric car.
The cars take about five minutes to fuel up, the nozzle of the fuel pump locking into the car to prevent hydrogen leaks.
"Hydrogen vehicles allow you to be lean and green with the same range as an internal combustion engine," Thilo Koslowski, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said.
Fuel cell cars will likely cost more than comparable vehicles that run on gas or electricity, but prices should drop if automakers can sell in volume. Besides production costs, another issue would be having enough hydrogen fueling stations to keep the cars running.
Some have also criticized the vehicles as unsafe.
"Hydrogen is quite a dangerous gas," said Elon Musk, Tesla Motors' chief executive. "It's suitable for the upper stage of rockets, but not for cars."
Toyota engineer Matt McClory disagreed, describing safety tests where rifle bullets were fired at high-pressure hydrogen tanks to see if they would explode or go up in flames.
"The smaller-caliber bullets would just bounce off the tank," McClory said. "It took a 50-caliber armor-piercing bullet to penetrate the tank, and it then just left a hole and the gas leaked out."
Carmakers will need to adapt quickly as more states implement emissions regulations. California has already laid down a requirement that 15 percent of cars sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2025. Nine other states have named similar goals, aiming for 3.3 million zero-emission cars on the road by that same year.
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