Hydrogen Power Cannot Catch Up To Battery Powered EVs: Study

The report paints a gloomy picture for the future of hydrogen fuel cell based propulsion.

By Sahil Gupta

1 mins read

Published on February 18, 2022

Highlights

The study paints a bleak picture for hydrogen fuel cell technology
Efficiency is a problem alongside infrastructure
Infrastructure is a less of an issue for battery powered EVs

A new study by the journal called Nature has confirmed what many have suspected for years about hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles. The study has revealed that many fuel cell electric cars are also less efficient while having gargantuan infrastructural needs. Battery powered EVs also have infrastructural issues, but these vehicles also have the great advantage of the existing electrical grid and since most EVs get charged at home, overtime with better fast charging infrastructure, more efficient batteries, any range anxiety issues will be allayed. The same cannot be said about fuel cell based vehicles. "Technical and economic developments in battery and fast-charging technologies could soon make fuel cell electric vehicles, which run on hydrogen, superfluous in road transport," states the study. It even debunks the notion that hydrogen fuel cells could be useful for long haul and trucking purposes. Nikola has been pursuing hydrogen fuel cell based trucks "The current challenge for battery-electric vehicles is long-haul logistic operation (with an average of 100,000 km per year) and transport of very heavy goods (which implies high energy consumption per kilometre). This is the use case often discussed for hydrogen trucks. Several truck manufacturers, as well as fuel cell and infrastructure providers, have joined forces and announced a target of 100,000 fuel-cell trucks on European roads by 2030. But this seems very unlikely when contrasted with announcements from the companies about the earliest start date for the production of commercial series fuel cell electric trucks being in 2027. By that time, the second-generation battery-electric vehicles will already be commercially available and in operation," it adds. Some trucking companies like the embattled Nikola Motors is also saying that it will have fuel cell based trucks only by 2024, but it also has shifted focus towards electric vehicles based on battery power. Famously, Toyota and GM have been bullish about hydrogen powertrains, but these major automakers are rapidly pivoting towards EVs.