With all the talk about investing in electric and hybrid cars and the necessary infrastructure it’s easy to forget about hydrogen fuel cells.

There are still plenty of hardcore hydrogen proponents and with the Honda FCX Clarity (pictured above) winning the Green Car of the Year Award it’s no wonder.

It also seems the Department of Energy (DOE) has not forgotten about hydrogen powered vehicle either. In what they have described as an effort to lay “the foundation for a green energy eonomy,” the DOE is putting $41.9 million from the Stimulus Bill into hydrogen fuel cell technology. They predict this will lead to an immediate deployment of almost 1,000 new hydrogen fuel cell systems.

Bankrupt auto parts supplier Delphi will make use of a $2.4 million grant allowing for the development of a 3-5kW solid oxide fuel cell auxiliary power unit for class 8 trucks.

While this should help hydrogen fuel cells see more action while creating new jobs hydrogen vehicle proponents might still be a little ticked off that at the relative difference of the $41.9 million for hydrogen compared to the more than $2 billion that is going towards advanced battery research for electric vehicles.