Hundreds of Mainers and out-of-staters got their first glimpse of hydrogen-fueled cars last weekend, as the nation’s first-ever cross-country tour of hydrogen-powered vehicles kicked off Monday morning in Portland.

Speakers at Monday’s even included Maine senators Tom Allen and Olympia Snowe, as well as a representative of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is sponsoring the event along with the Department of Energy. Also speaking was Catherine Dunwoody, executive director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

Gary Higginbottom, executive director of Portland’s Hydrogen Energy Center, estimated that 500 to 700 people attended an event Sunday at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth showcasing hydrogen cars from seven major manufacturers.

“There is no question that awareness was raised on the people who came (to Fort Williams) yesteday,” he said. “It was really quite phenomenal.”

The vehicles are expected to make 33 stops en route to California’s Santa Monica Pier.

Local event sponsors were the Hydrogen Energy Center and Maine Clean Cities Coalition.

Sen. Olympia Snowe looks under the hood of the BMW Hydrogen 7, the first hydrogen powered luxury sedan, Monday at Fort Allen Park in Portland. She was accompanied by Rep. Tom Allen and they both helped kick-off the Hydrogen Road Tour, which is a 13-day cross-country trip ending in California. Both Allen and Snowe spoke in support of developing green technologies and lessoning American dependency on foreign oil. On top, Kailyss Linnell, 7, of Portland, and Jane Akermann wave flags to kick-off the Hydrogen Road Tour Monday at Fort Allen Park in Portland. The tour will end in California after a 13-day trip cross-country stopping 18 times. Linnell and his mother Linda both road their bikes to the event as a concerted effort to cut carbon emissions.