MONMOUTH residents could be among the first to trial hydrogen cell cars later this year.

Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) has been approached by Powys company Riversimple about running a 12-month trial of the ’Rasa’, which has a range of 300 miles, refills in five minutes and has no “cost premium” compared with conventional cars.

The proposal involves a trial of 20 Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell cars, based from one of two sites in Monmouthshire, with a view to expanding commercially in the region after the trial. Designed and built in Powys, Riversimple say that the Rasa is “possibly the most promising green car in the world”.

If the plans are approved at MCC’s cabinet meeting next week, it is expected that the trials will start at the end of 2016, running for 12 months.

Contracts of between three and six months will be offered to between 60 and 80 users over a period of 12 months, and 20 Rasa cars will be hand built for their use.

The trials are to be aimed at a variety of users. Triallists will be invited to place a data logger in their current cars to track their normal car use for three months prior to the trial to give Riversimple a usage benchmark.

If the proposals are recommended approval, a service hub will be installed in one of the council car parks in either Monmouth or Abergavenny. The council could also provide parking for up to 20 vehicles at a Raglan depot.

A report submitted to MCC explains that the diverse topography and regular short distances between towns in Monmouthshire are ideal for testing the Rasa cars, which are designed for local, non-motorway use. The cars have a maximum speed of 60 mph.

If the plans are given the go-ahead, Riversimple will cover the costs of the 20 cars, staff to man the refuelling site and all running costs including fuel, insurance, repairs and servicing.

A decision is set to be made at MCC’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday 8th June.