A week-long trial of a bus powered by hydrogen has been launched in Kent.

Kent County Council (KCC) is running the trial in Sevenoaks to learn more about the technology involved in running the bus, which costs around £500,000, and asses whether it could be viable alternative to diesel transport.

Watch: KMTV reports on a hydrogen bus trial launched in Sevenoaks this week

In comparison, a diesel or petrol bus costs around £130,000.

The trial of the zero-emission bus, by Caetano, which only emits water, started today, Clean Air Day, and will run until next Thursday.

It will not be replacing a route, but rather touring the Sevenoaks area, showcasing the new technology to members of the community, such as school groups, and other bus operators.

During the trial the bus will only need refuelling once, at Heathrow. Because the technology is so new there are limited refuelling stations.

The single decker, called an H2 City Gold is powered by hydrogen with an electric drivetrain.

The bus works by taking air in and mixing the oxygen and hydrogen to create electricity through a fuel cell.

This generates electricity and water through a chemical reaction. Electricity is then supplied to the traction motor, with the only emissions being water.

The hydrogen bus offers a range of 250 miles, based on full zero emission running, providing an alternative solution for high mileage routes.

KCC are working on the trial in partnership with Go Coach and supported by Abellio.

KCC cabinet member for highways and transport, CllrDavid Brazier, said: “This is a very exciting trial for us and we will be evaluating this innovative new technology to assess whether it can provide an alternative for diesel buses in the county.

“Buses already contribute to our environmental goals by removing cars from the road but we believe more can be done. We are working with bus operators to lead the shift away from fossil fuels towards cleaner vehicles.”

He added: "I think we are looking at the future today."

Austin Blackburn, Go Coach Managing Director, said: “It is very exciting to be trialling the Caetano H2 City Gold hydrogen bus and we thank Abellio for supporting us in this initiative to showcase this vehicle in Kent.

“The use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel is a very interesting and credible option to deliver zero emissions and we look forward to trialling this bus to compare with our growing knowledge of electric vehicles.”

When asked if you could drink the water emitted by the bus, Mr Blackburn said: "I tried it yesterday, it tasted a little bit tinny, it doesn't taste of a lot to be honest, but clearly if you can drink it it can't be doing bad things to the environment."

Other areas in the UK, such as London and Aberdeen have already started using Hydrogen buses, with plans for Birmingham as well.

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