Are Hydrogen Fuel Cells the Future?
Hydrogen fuel cells have been heralded as a promising alternative to traditional fossil fuels for passenger cars – but that future seems to be perpetually 10-15 years away. The vision of a hydrogen-powered future was driven by advantages that positioned hydrogen as a clean, efficient, and practical solution for sustainable transportation. However, despite the initial enthusiasm, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have not delivered on these promises.
To better understand why hydrogen hasn't replaced gas, and has been out-shone by EVs in the same time, we need to take a look back. In this article, we’ll look at the early promises that fueled the original optimism around hydrogen – and the significant realities that proved too great to overcome.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells: The Promise
The main reason hydrogen was looked at as a new fuel source was the hope that it’d be an easy and clean replacement for traditional, carbon-based fuels. Hydrogen fuel cells produce only water vapor and heat as byproducts and offering a much cleaner alternative to internal combustion engines that emit greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.
Being essentially zero-emissions made hydrogen seem like an appealing option for addressing climate change and reducing air pollution in urban areas. There was also a difficult, but clear, path for traditional oil producing companies to pivot to hydrogen as well. This helped get the traditional energy lobbies on-board with the vision of a hydrogen-powered future and the large investments required to make such a future happen.
From an engineering standpoint, automakers were also excited about hydrogen fuel cells because they are more efficient compared to traditional gasoline engines. They can convert up to 60 percent of the energy in hydrogen into usable power – while internal combustion engines typically achieve only about 30 percent efficiency. This means that hydrogen vehicles can potentially offer better fuel economy and lower operating costs over the vehicle's lifetime.
Hydrogen has a high energy density by weight, which allows for a longer driving range compared to BEVs, or even most gas cars, for the same weight of fuel. Initially, automakers viewed this as another engineering advantage for hydrogen vehicles over EVs, increasing their belief that hydrogen would power the “cars of the future.”
Renewable Production of Hydrogen
Renewable production was another key selling point for hydrogen. It can be produced from a variety of renewable sources – including water electrolysis using solar or wind power. This capability presents a significant advantage in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and leveraging renewable energy to create a sustainable fuel supply. This was seen as a big win that would empower the growing renewable energy industry – and be a way for cars to be powered by clean energy, even if it required a few steps.
Unlike battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which required extended charging times – especially in the early 2000s before DC fast charging was available – hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be also be refueled in a matter of minutes, similar to conventional gasoline vehicles. The quick refueling was not only an advantage over EVs, but also made the overall experience very similar to what car buyers coming from gas cars were used to. They’d still be using a pump at their local station like before – it would just be a different fuel. Almost like choosing diesel over unleaded.
Hydrogen Refueling: A Reality Check
If you’ve been reading about electric cars for a while, you know that charging infrastructure remains a concern for many buyers. The challenges for hydrogen infrastructure are far greater even than for electric cars, with very limited access in only certain parts of the country.
Why is that? Hydrogen is the smallest element, which gives it some great properties, but also makes it incredibly hard to contain. This issue with hydrogen was actually discovered before hydrogen’s application in passenger cars. The Space Shuttle’s main booster used hydrogen, which had also been originally promising for space flight because of its energy density by weight. The shuttle suffered a lot of launch delays due to the hydrogen tank, and it is still a challenge in the industry.
While our discussion is much more grounded, the same challenges persist for hydrogen: production, storage, and refueling. All three are still very limited. While each could be consistently overcome in the long term, developing the infrastructure will be very expensive – and hydrogen is already years behind EV charging.
Establishing a comprehensive network of hydrogen refueling stations requires significant investment and coordination, which has been a major barrier to the widespread adoption of hydrogen vehicles. Without sufficient infrastructure, consumers are unlikely to buy cars that they can refuel conveniently. Plus, while there have been a lot of promises made and money invested in trying to convert natural gas pipelines and natural gas facilities to hydrogen, such promises have continuously failed to succeed in execution.
Plus, one of the main perks of electric cars for many drivers is that they can be charged at home – and use the already-existing infrastructure of the electrical grid. A grid which is coincidentally getting cleaner and more efficient every day.
The Challenge of Producing and Transporting Clean Hydrogen
While hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources, most of the hydrogen available today is derived from natural gas through a process called steam methane reforming. This method is cheaper – but involves CO2 emissions, undermining the environmental benefits of hydrogen-powered vehicles. Producing hydrogen through water electrolysis is cleaner, but currently more costly and energy-intensive, making it less economically-viable at present. Plus, given the challenges throughout parts of the world around access to clean water, this process creates additional concerns for the long-term viability of hydrogen production.
Hydrogen is also notoriously difficult to store and transport due to its low energy density by volume, and the need for high-pressure tanks or cryogenic temperatures. These requirements add complexity and cost to the hydrogen supply chain. Developing safe and efficient storage and transport solutions remains a significant technical challenge that has yet to be fully resolved.
While modern technology has made hydrogen storage and transport safer, it is still highly flammable – and public perception and regulatory hurdles continue to pose challenges. Ensuring the safety of hydrogen refueling stations and vehicles is critical to gaining consumer trust and regulatory approval, which can be a lengthy and costly process. The fact that an atom that’s already hard to contain, very combustible and now has to be put under pressure does bring up very serious concerns in vehicles going down the road.
Hydrogen is More Expensive and Less Efficient Than Electricity
At the time of writing, hydrogen fuel cell technology and hydrogen itself are more expensive than conventional fuels and electric batteries. Both the vehicles themselves and the fuel have proven to be more expensive than comparable electric vehicles. Factor in the cost of fuel, and compared to charging at home, it can be 10 times more expensive to refuel a hydrogen vehicle than to charge an EV – assuming you live close to one of the few publicly-accessible fueling stations in the country.
While costs are expected to decrease with technological advancements and increased production scale, the high initial costs of hydrogen remain a significant barrier to widespread adoption – and are unlikely to catch up, especially as EVs are rapidly coming down in cost. Consumers and manufacturers alike are hesitant to invest heavily in a technology that is not yet cost-competitive with existing alternatives.
The process of producing, transporting, and converting hydrogen into electricity in fuel cells involves multiple steps is also less efficient than electricity; each step comes with small energy losses. The multi-step process makes a hydrogen vehicle less efficient, roughly 18 to 46 percent versus when compared to a modern electric vehicle, which typically is over 80 percent efficient. EVs offer a more straightforward and efficient use of renewable electricity for transportation.
What Is the Future of Hydrogen for Passenger Cars?
Hydrogen fuel cells once appeared to be a promising solution for the future of passenger transportation, offering advantages such as zero emissions, high efficiency, renewable production, fast refueling, and high energy density. However, significant challenges related to infrastructure, production, storage, safety, cost, overall energy efficiency and the growth of battery electric vehicles have prevented hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from becoming a mainstream choice for consumers.
While hydrogen may still play a role in the future of sustainable transportation – particularly in sectors where BEVs face limitations, such as long-haul trucking or aviation – the dream of hydrogen-powered passenger cars dominating the roads has not materialized as initially hoped. The rise of BEVs, supported by rapidly expanding charging infrastructure and continuous improvements in battery technology, has further solidified electric vehicles as the future of sustainable transportation.
