Details are falling into place for the nation’s first cross-country road trip by hydrogen-powered automobiles, which will begin Monday in Portland and end 13 days later in Santa Monica, Calif.

The hydrogen vehicles will be on display from 2-5 p.m. Sunday in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. The event is free and open to the public.

On Monday, the vehicles will depart from Portlands’ Fort Allen Park for California, making 33 education and publicity stops in 18 states en route to the Santa Monica Pier.

The event is the first of its kind in United States history. The Portland departure is expected to attract transportation technology experts, U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Energy officials, representatives from the manufacturers of the hydrogen-powered vehicles taking part, including BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Speakers at the 9 a.m. Portland kickoff will explain the importance of this cross-country tour to the global environment and to the future of automotive transportation.

The Hydrogen Energy Center of Portland and the Maine Clean Communities Coalition are the local organizers for the event, and the California Fuel Cell Partnership, U.S. departments of Transportation and Energy and the National Hydrogen Association are the national event planners.

Hydrogen is a highly combustible, naturally occurring element that can be manufactured from a variety of different compounds, including natural gas, carbon monoxide, coal and water. Only recently, however, has production become cost-effective enough to make hydrogen a realistic competitor to fossil fuels.

Hydrogen can be produced using intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, and it burns without producing harmful byproducts such as carbon monoxide or smog. Its only byproduct is water vapor.

But development of hydrogen-powered automobiles has been hampered by the fact that there are few commercial hydrogen filling stations, which in turn is due to the fact that there are few hydrogen-powered cars to support them. Currently, there are no hydrogen fueling stations in Maine; the two nearest are in Burlington, Vt., and South Windsor, Conn.

Hydrogen proponents hope the tour and similar events will spark public interest .

Details are falling into place for the nation’s first cross-country road trip by hydrogen-powered automobiles, which will begin Monday in Portland and end 13 days later in Santa Monica, Calif.

The hydrogen vehicles will be on display from 2-5 p.m. Sunday in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. The event is free and open to the public.

On Monday, the vehicles will depart from Portlands’ Fort Allen Park for California, making 33 education and publicity stops in 18 states en route to the Santa Monica Pier.

The event is the first of its kind in United States history. The Portland departure is expected to attract transportation technology experts, U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Energy officials, representatives from the manufacturers of the hydrogen-powered vehicles taking part, including BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Speakers at the 9 a.m. Portland kickoff will explain the importance of this cross-country tour to the global environment and to the future of automotive transportation.

The Hydrogen Energy Center of Portland and the Maine Clean Communities Coalition are the local organizers for the event, and the California Fuel Cell Partnership, U.S. departments of Transportation and Energy and the National Hydrogen Association are the national event planners.

Hydrogen is a highly combustible, naturally occurring element that can be manufactured from a variety of different compounds, including natural gas, carbon monoxide, coal and water. Only recently, however, has production become cost-effective enough to make hydrogen a realistic competitor to fossil fuels.

Hydrogen can be produced using intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, and it burns without producing harmful byproducts such as carbon monoxide or smog. Its only byproduct is water vapor.

But development of hydrogen-powered automobiles has been hampered by the fact that there are few commercial hydrogen filling stations, which in turn is due to the fact that there are few hydrogen-powered cars to support them. Currently, there are no hydrogen fueling stations in Maine; the two nearest are in Burlington, Vt., and South Windsor, Conn.

Hydrogen proponents hope the tour and similar events will spark public interest .