Are hydrogen cars the future?

Beleaguered British motorists really have had a tough time of things lately. Petrol and diesel prices at the pumps have been hitting all-time highs, environmental activists have been continuing their anti-car campaigns by disrupting traffic, and even those drivers looking to purchase a new model have seen deliveries delayed for weeks and months (even years, in some cases) due to a shortage of computer chips, with the inevitable knock-on of driving up second-hand car prices.

Electric-vehicle owners are not immune either, as recent electricity cost rises have made recharging their batteries more expensive. Throw in congestion charging in the capital, and certain vehicles falling foul of London’s expanding Ultra Low Emission Zone, and many of us might be excused for thinking we would be better off opting for public transport.

However, there could be a solution to all this. It is one that you can’t see, can’t smell and can’t taste, but is the most abundant element in the universe. It is, of course, hydrogen, and it can be used to power your motor more efficiently, fill your tank more quickly, give you more range than a standard petrol car, and do all that while producing zero emissions.

How do hydrogen-powered cars work?

Hydrogen gas is first highly compressed and then passed through a fuel cell, which converts it into electrical energy, which powers the car. When the hydrogen reacts with oxygen outside, the only by-product from the tailpipe is water vapour.

This isn’t new technology. The first hydrogen fuel cell goes back to 1839, and it has been used to generate power since the 1960s, when NASA used fuel cells for the Gemini and Apollo space capsules. Fuel cell cars are electric cars powered by hydrogen, hence FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle).

What are the benefits of a hydrogen car?

Other than producing zero emissions? Plenty. For starters, the cars are easy to refuel. Unlike normal EVs that can take anything from 15 minutes (at an ultra-fast charge point) to several hours (plugged in at home), an FCEV car can be topped up in three to five minutes using a hose and nozzle similar to those at a petrol or diesel pump.

They also have a better range than standard electric cars (the Toyota Mirai can cover over 400 miles after filling up) and are lighter than most EVs, as they don’t need bulky batteries. They are also efficient, quiet and offer the same instant power that you get from an electric car.

The Toyota Mirai is available for £49,995

Are they safe?

FCEV carmakers claim hydrogen-powered machines are just as safe as standard internal combustion engine (ICE) motors. Pressurised hydrogen is dangerous and hydrogen is highly flammable, but it is also non-toxic and the fuel tanks themselves are incredibly strong. Toyota claims the tanks on its Mirai can absorb five times as much energy in a crash as a petrol or diesel car.

What hydrogen cars can you buy?

There are currently only two commercially available models: the Toyota Mirai, which costs £49,995, and the Hyundai Nexo, which costs a hefty £69,995. That said, BMW is planning to release a small run of iX5 hydrogen models by the end of year, Land Rover is developing a hydrogen-powered Defender, and Renault and Vauxhall plan to release vans in 2023.

For drivers with more exotic tastes, Welsh independent hydrogen carmaker Riversimple is developing the Rasa, a small FCEV; and at the opposite end of the scale is the Hyperion XP-1, a hydrogen-powered hypercar capable of travelling from 0-62mph in 2.2 seconds, with a top speed of 221mph and a claimed range of 1,000 miles on a single tank of fuel. The price for that is TBC.

How much do they cost to run?

Between £11 and £15 per kg, with a kg taking you about 60 miles. That isn’t the biggest issue, though. ‘The problem with all hydrogen cars is the infrastructure, which is not something that Toyota or Hyundai can control,’ The Grand Tour presenter James May told the DriveTribe online platform. He has owned the first- and second-generation models of the Mirai and is an advocate of the technology but he added, ‘There aren’t enough hydrogen filling stations to make this a viable “only” car. It would be possible in Germany and Japan [where there are more hydrogen stations], but not in the UK.’

He isn’t downplaying this. At the time of writing, there are only 14 hydrogen filling stations in the UK. Government analysis predicts that 20-35% of the UK’s whole energy consumption could be hydrogen-based by 2050, but unless investment is forthcoming in providing more pumps, drivers will be hesitant to commit.

However, the establishment of a new £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund is currently looking into the viability of producing low-carbon hydrogen in Britain, so the potential is there.

BMW plan on releasing a run of the IX5 by the end of the year

Are they really the future?

Commentators are split. Jeremy Clarkson is in no doubt. ‘I’m absolutely convinced that electric cars are a complete red herring,’ he told me. ‘Generating electricity from coal foundries for e-cars is just ludicrous. And the cars themselves are too expensive and too heavy and it’s stupid… I don’t believe electric cars will catch on in the long term.’ He went further in The Sunday Times, writing: ‘Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, so we wouldn’t run out of it for about a billion years, and it’s clean too.’

Unsurprisingly, Tesla’s Elon Musk doesn’t agree. He has rebranded hydrogen ‘fuel cells’ as ‘fool cells’, and described the concept as ‘the most dumb thing I could possibly imagine for energy storage’.

There is also the issue of producing hydrogen on the scale that would be required. At present, most hydrogen fuel is produced using electricity, much of which is generated from burning fossil fuels. That’s bad. And if you factor in that the hydrogen then has to be compressed, then chilled, then transported by truck to the fuel station… those tailpipe emissions start to look a little like a drop in the ocean.

‘If the technology develops, FCEVS could – and should – be the most sustainable option for all of us’

So, should I buy a hydrogen car?

If you live near a hydrogen fuel station and you can afford the entry cost, it is an environmentally friendly option. The cars are very good and are exceptionally reliable. But right now, because of the increasingly solid infrastructure behind them, BEVs (battery-powered electric vehicles) make more sense. However, in the future, if the technology develops and the production of green hydrogen can be advanced sufficiently, FCEVs could – and arguably should – be the most sustainable option for all of us.

Photography: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock, oshio Tsunoda/AFLO/Shutterstock

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