5 Reasons Why Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars Are Better Than Battery Electric Vehicles

hydrogen fuel cell
hydrogen fuel cell
The Toyota Mirai is one of the examples of hydrogen cars done right

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are a kind of electric vehicle that uses hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor. Instead of getting power from batteries, they’re powered with hydrogen gas.

Without getting too much into the weeds, hydrogen gas is used to produce electricity in a car which then powers the motor that moves your vehicle. Just like petrol which powers combustion engines, hydrogen gas can be used to provide electricity in cars.

We’ve written about the hydrogen era and Honda’s plans to create a hydrogen-based car instead of an electric one and we thought we’d also inform our readers about why they’re better than electric vehicles.

1. Quick refuelling

The wait time to charge an electric vehicle can go from as short as 20 minutes to as long as 8 hours. Hydrogen on the other hand can be refuelled at the station just as quickly as you would refuel a car with petrol.

2. Longer driving range

Typically, electric vehicles have a range of 400km at 100% charge. But since you’re advised to charge up to 80% only in most vehicles, the range is closer to 300 – 350 km instead in real use.

Hydrogen powered cars can generally go 600km on a single tank and you won’t feel the dreaded range-anxiety that comes part and parcel of owning an EV.

3. More efficient than other sources

ICE vehicles generates electricity at 33-35% efficiency compared to up to 65% for hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are more efficient than many other energy sources, including many green energy solutions. This fuel efficiency allows for the production of more energy per pound of fuel.

hydrogen fuel cell

4. Lightweight compared to batteries

Due to the design of battery packs, they’re littered all over the bottom of a vehicle and they weigh a tonne. The Tesla Model S has 7,104 lithium-ion battery cells lining its undercarriage and longer-range vehicles have more.

Hydrogen tanks on the other hand are a lot more compact and lightweight. This increases the efficiency of the power produced and makes the car lighter which also increases its range.

5. Environmental impact is lower

Hydrogen is not a naturally occurring gas and has to be produced artificially. Commercial hydrogen production can be a very expensive process, but it does not require any mining in its production, unlike batteries.

Lithium mines are changing the landscape of countries and cobalt mining has been linked to modern-day slavery. Though lithium and cobalt are not rare earth materials, the mining and production of them for lithium-ion batteries has long-term effects that go far beyond the carbon emission savings goals we’ve made.

There are many benefits to using hydrogen to power cars instead of batteries and in an a twisted and poetic irony, the company Tesla is the one spinning the battery narrative for its financial gain instead of pushing for the obviously better solution with hydrogen.

Will Tesla be remembered, ironically, as the Edison of its time?

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