(Adds UK minister's comment, paras 9-12
PARIS, April 28 (Reuters) - The United States sought international backing on Monday for a plan to cut dependence on oil imports and switch cars to a "hydrogen economy".
U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said hydrogen was the single most important issue in improving the security of energy supply to Western economies.
"A hydrogen economy is some way in the distance, but President Bush envisages that a child born now will have the opportunity to purchase a competitively priced (hydrogen) vehicle when he or she makes their first car purchase," Abraham told reporters at a meeting in Paris.
"We are suggesting we combine efforts to work together on a unified front," he said, adding it was in the interests of many nations to pursue common ground.
Hydrogen fuel cells emit very little pollution. But hydrogen itself is expensive to make, and is derived mostly from hydrocarbons such as natural gas or gasoline.
Abraham said he would use a dinner, part of the International Energy Agency's biennial meeting in Paris, to urge foreign support for hydrogen.
U.S. President George W. Bush announced a hydrogen drive in January, and Abraham said the target was for mass market production by 2020.
"The vision of the international partnership for the hydrogen economy is that a participating country's consumers will have the practical option of purchasing a competitively priced hydrogen power vehicle and be able to refuel it near their homes and places of work by 2020," Abraham said.
CULTURAL LEAP
British Energy Minister Brian Wilson, who is chairing the IEA meeting, welcomed the U.S. initiative.
"If they set 2020 as a goal for a hydrogen car, then I suspect it will be delivered. That's good for humanity and it's good for the U.S."
He added it would represent a cultural leap.
"Consumption of by the motor car of oil is part of U.S. culture," he told reporters.
The United States has committed $1.7 billion for the first five years of a long-term hydrogen energy technology and infrastructure development programme.
The European Commission has said it plans to spend close to 2.1 billion euros ($2.3 billion) on hydrogen-related research over the next four years, up from 120 million over the last four.
Despite EU and U.S. willingness to progress towards hydrogen, research points to practical difficulties and environmentalists have taken issue with the need to use fossil fuels to produce hydrogen in the near term.
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study published last month said hybrid cars, combining electric motors with small petroleum engines, would outpace the environmental benefits of hydrogen fuel cell cars until at least 2020.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have low emissions and energy use on the road, but converting hydrocarbons into hydrogen uses substantial energy and emits greenhouse gases, the study said.
Only in the future would it be cost effective to use the green method of making hydrogen by separating the gas from water through the use of alternative energy like wind or solar power.