It sounds almost too good to be true — a system that will cut fuel consumption in cars by more than 50 per cent and reduce emissions by the same level. That is what Mark Miller thought when he first came across the concept of using hydrogen as a fuel to supplement normal petrol and diesel power in a vehicle.

But two years down the line he has managed to produce a unit that can be attached to a conventional engine which he claims can slash fuel costs as well as emissions.

The idea of using hydrogen as a fuel is not a new one — in fact research stretches back for centuries.

Recently companies such as BMW have spent millions on research into a hydrogen fuel cells, cars powered by liquid hydrogen which emit just water from the exhaust.

But the problem has been the sheer expense of the technology involved and earlier this year the United States government halted funding into research into the technology because it seems it will not produce anything practical within the next 20 years.

The technology Didcot-based Mr Miller, 42, is working with is different in that hydrogen works in tandem with the conventional fuel, making the engine run more efficiently and so boosting performance all round.

He has now created a unit that fits into the engine of any car — petrol or diesel.

A demonstration in a ten-year-old Ford Mondeo which has covered more than 150,000 miles seemed to prove the point with the car running more smoothly and quietly when the unit was in operation, while a standard emissions test indicated a marked reduction in emissions.

Mr Miller explained that the hydrogen is released by electrolysis thanks to a reaction between distilled water and potassium hydroxide.

This is then fed into the engine and mixes with the conventional fuel causing it to burn more quickly during combustion leading to greater fuel efficiency.

He added: “Performance will vary from engine to engine. The improvement in economy could be ten per cent or it could be 70 per cent depending on wear and how it is driven.”

One of the major considerations is safety —after all as Mr Miller, admits, hydrogen is a highly explosive gas.

But he argues that unlike liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), there is no storage tank and the quatitiy of hydrogen produced is small. A relay switch is also provided for vehicles in case of an accident.

And unlike LPG, the unit can be transferred between vehicles and takes just a few hours to install at a cost of £500, significantly less than the propane-based alternative.

Also, it needs very little maintenance, apart from small regular top-ups of distilled water, similar to a car battery.

Mr Miller’s initital research started when he was living in the Czech Republic and he wanted to find a new form of heating system.

He said: “What I want to be doing is building generators to power buses, cars, boats and heating systems.

“We are just waiting for the results of tests on central heating boilers run purely on hydrogen which would cost perhaps £1 a year to run.

“Also, once the heating system is developed there is no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Having now set up his own firm, Miller Gas, Mr Miller believes his biggest problem will be convincing people to switch to the benefits of hydrogen power.

“If I say I can install a heating system but without involving the gas company, then people are going to be sceptical. It is the same with the cars — the oil companies are going to dismiss the technology.”

Without going into conspiracy theories, Mr Miller believes that this is perhaps one reason why hydrogen power has not progressed at the expense of conventional fossil fuels.

After all, hydrogen has a limitless supply and costs next to nothing to produce. And, if it is freely available, it will be impossible to tax.

Mr Miller has already run into official scepticism while trying to get his system officially approved by the Government.

If cars fitted with his system have much lower emissions, then they could qualify for exemption from the London congestion charge and a much lower tax band.

But working his way through the the maze of different departments such as the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is proving tricky.

In the meantime, he is splitting his time between Oxfordshire and Spain where he is busy fitting the hydrogen system to a range of vehicles including a fleet of vans run by Oak Tree Foods which operates in the Alicante area.

Mr Miller said: “People tend to be less sceptical here and look at things in a different way.”

He is being helped in the UK by father Frank and is recruiting a fitter to help install the system to people’s cars.

His vision is to provide cheap, limitless fuel to everyone. He might just be on to something.

o Contact: Mark Miller, e-mail miller.gas@gmail.com