Like many vehicles now on the road, the boats, which the event organisers and some teams use to take out guests to watch racing, are a hybrid design, with hydrogen fed into two Toyota fuel cells which produce the electricity to power its motor and batteries.

The boat is not designed to do sharp turns but passengers wear safety belts in case it does stop suddenly, with large and "multi-directional" waves proving challenging to its controls.

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Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Toby Davis

Source: Reuters

The design was a spin-off from the giant America's Cup sailing boats, which now lift above the water on foils. Because they produce little or no wake, the foiling chase boats do not create waves which can disrupt races.

"They basically produce no emissions at all and what's dumped in the water is fresh water that's run through the system. They foil at 30-35 knots cruise and they carry seven guests," Phil Salthouse, the on water director for the 37th America's Cup, told Reuters this week.

So far, the Chase Zeros have been manufactured in China by Australian boat builder McConaghy. Salthouse said they could well have wider commercial uses in the future.

"Diesel and petrol are not going to be the way going forward ... these are prototypes, but ultimately hydrogen will be a means of running these sort of boats and bigger commercial boats as well," Salthouse added.

"On a good day, it's incredible, you're gliding over the water, you're doing over 30 knots. It's super simple," he said of the boats, which can cover 160 nautical miles at 28 knots.

Hydrogen Chase Boats Follow in Wake of America's Cup Designs