DRIVERS in some German cities will soon be able to rent a Mercedes-Benz that runs on a combination of hydrogen and electricity - and the technology could eventually make it to the UK.

The mix of hydrogen powered fuel cell and rechargeable battery drive - which Mercedes says is a unique pairing - comes in the GLC F-CELL vehicle, capable of up to 299 miles between refill and recharge.

The first users of the new car will be the German railways and companies like Shell. Other business as well as private customers in Germany will also be able to access the GLC F-CELL from the spring of 2019 via Mercedes-Benz Rent.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL is a plug-in hybrid with a difference as apart from electricity it can also run on pure hydrogen, carried in two carbon fibre encased tanks in the floor of the vehicle.

The SUV is an all-electric vehicle suitable for everyday use which emits no CO2emissions during operation. The interplay between battery and fuel cell, a long range and short - three minutes - refuelling times make the 208 horsepower GLC FâCELL a vehicle which boasts high everyday practicality, says its maker.

Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz is part of the Hydrogen Mobility Europe project for hydrogen mobility - in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

It is promoting the expansion of a large-scale hydrogen filling station infrastructure and the development of fuel cell vehicles such as the GLC F-CELL with the goal of enabling emission-free driving all over Europe.