Hydrogen never worked in cars, but researchers in Norway have built a drone that runs on it, swapping batteries for a fuel cell to handle long-range jobs like power line inspections.

The new patent aims to reduce startup emissions by making hydrogen from water and combusting it before switching back to gas or diesel.

Way back in 1807, Francois Isaac de Rivaz used a hydrogen-filled ballon to drive an engine he developed to propel an experimental vehicle — more than 50 years before the first gasoline-powered engine ...