There is certainly a fundamental shift from internal combustion engines towards electric ones, such as the Mercedes EQC, Audi e-Tron, Kia e-Niro, Ioniq, etc. No one doubts this change, the question remains when and how, which will vary from country to country depending on the purchasing power of the population, government support and the overall affection of drivers, the price of cars and infrastructure. One example country can be Norway, where more than half of the cars sold are electric cars. Now change awaits us.
If we ask how humanity will replace fossil fuels in its cars, we will be attacked by either hydrogen or electricity. However, we should clarify that it is not hydrogen or electricity. Every hydrogen car is also an electric car. However, the energy for driving the electric motor does not flow from the accumulator, but from the fuel cell, where the hydrogen stored in the tanks mixes with the air, creating electricity.
Daimler predicts that in 2050 hydrogen will be used as a source of energy by less than 20 per cent of vehicles, with a greater future, especially in freight transport. Renault predicts that hydrogen electromobility will account for about 10 per cent of passenger cars and commercial vehicles in 2050. Let's summarize the pros and cons of hydrogen vehicles.
Range. One of the first questions of many uninitiated people is this parameter. If the answer is less than 500 kilometres, they very often lose interest in the car. However, the average daily range of the vast majority of drivers is in the lower tens of kilometres. Hydrogen cars meet the mentality of people and therefore try to make their range a little higher than today's electric cars. Hyundai NEXO promises a range of 600 km, Toyota Mirai about 500 km, the new Mercedes GLC F-Cell "only" 350 km. In general, a kilogram of hydrogen in high-pressure tanks lasts for about 100 km. Hyundai and Toyota can hold about 5 km of hydrogen, while the Mercedes can hold four. Today's best electric cars will travel 400-500 km, which is no longer such a difference.
Fast pumping can be considered the biggest advantage of hydrogen cars. It does not take much longer than with conventional internal combustion cars, about a kilogram per minute. You will spend about five minutes while pumping. This is a huge difference from tens of minutes at "fast charging" electric car stations. The advantage is also the operation in winter because the production of energy from hydrogen and oxygen on board the car generates a large amount of waste heat, which can be used for heating. In contrast, classic electric cars burn valuable kilowatt-hours by heating, so in winter they have a shorter range.
The current advantage of hydrogen vehicles can end quickly. The Tesla Supercharger V3 can handle 250 kW charging and IONITY stations have 350 kW, which will significantly reduce the time you have to spend on charging stations. However, we have to wait for models that can handle such a powerful charge, such as the Porsche Taycan and others. We must not forget that the advantage of electric cars is the possibility of recharging anywhere, ie from the comfort of a normal socket. And hydrogen can't compete with that.
Infrastructure and cars. If there are no cars, no stations, whether hydrogen or electric, will be built. If there are no stations, people will not buy cars. If there are stations, people will not buy cars that will be expensive to refuel.
It works the same with hydrogen as it does with today's fuels. It is necessary to make it, transfer it to the gas station, pump it into it and refill it in the car. The production of hydrogen itself is an energy-intensive and expensive process, as well as the purchase of new technologies, which is the source of its high price of hydrogen, for example, in Germany, you can pump $ 13.99 per kg and 100 km is enough. However, the price should gradually fall. Toyota claims that even hydrogen models will soon stand as hybrid cars. On the other hand, electricity is significantly cheaper. Companies and municipalities are building charging stations near shopping centres and other busy places. People can also charge an electric car from their socket in the garage. Insufficient capacity of distribution networks will be a big problem in the development of electromobility. When quickly charging many electric cars at once, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient power supply, which can be a problem in some locations. Energy companies will therefore have to prepare for the arrival of electric cars, otherwise, it may end in a blackout.
Compared to cordless electric cars, hydrogen cars have a much more complex design. The fuel cell is as large as a conventional engine and cannot be easily integrated between the axles. It also cannot provide a sudden amount of energy. That's why hydrogen cars also have a battery that helps with greater energy consumption, such as starting or overtaking. Besides, bulky hydrogen pressure tanks are difficult to install, which must be replaced after about eight years to meet safety standards. And they must also have electric motors. Simply put, the more components, the greater the chance of failure, especially after the warranty expires. Cordless electric cars are significantly simpler, as they only have an electric motor, a converter, and a battery. There is also the possibility to install the electric motor directly on the axle, thus much more spacious.
In conclusion, we can say that hydrogen propulsion has certain advantages that will be largely eliminated in a few years by a new generation of electric cars and chargers. Current developments speak in favour of electric cars. As we know, the market decides. Sales of cordless electric cars are growing by 50 to 70 per cent year on year, and in about a few years we will see a massive offensive of new models from many cars. While more than three-quarters of a million cordless electric cars were sold worldwide last year, only 7,000 hydrogen cars were put into operation. Their future will probably be mainly in freight transport, or even public transport (such as long-distance buses), ie wherever long journeys and fast pumping are needed. Unless something changes fundamentally, however, in the current constellation in individual transport, hydrogen does not have much of a future and will remain rather an exotic affair.