In 25 years' time 75 per cent of vehicles on the roads could be hybrids, the rest powered by hydrogen, according to Ford chief executive Bill Ford.

In an interview, he said: "The next big event for this industry is going to be the creation of a hydrogen economy.

"The transition from where we are today to a hydrogen economy is going to be a huge national and international issue that is going to require coordination with governments as well as fuel providers and ourselves in a scale that we have never seen before."