Fuel cell, 10 keys to know if it is a real solution for the future. It has obvious advantages over EVs. Its implementation is not a priority.
By Laura King
The future of the automotive world is unclear. It seems clear that we are moving towards a time when everything will be electric cars, but it is still not clear what type they will be.
Battery electric vehicles (BEV) predominate, but those that use the hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) seem a viable alternative that could gain weight in the future.
Now, are they a real solution? Currently there are several brands that work on this technology ( Hyundai, Toyota or BMW, among others), but in markets such as Europe the presence of models that use this technology is minimal (in Spain only Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai ).
In addition, the conversion of combustion engines to burn hydrogen is even being explored, something that, although it does not eliminate emissions completely, reduces them considerably and would allow the transformation of thermal engines in a process that would be quite cheap.
With all these unknowns, is the fuel cell a real solution for the future of the automotive industry? These are the 10 keys to this technology that can tip the balance towards one side or the other.
Goodbye to long loading times
One of the main advantages that FCEVs have over conventional electric vehicles is that they do not have to be charged on the electrical grid, one of the most tedious aspects of EVs, since even in ultra-fast charging networks (which are harmful to batteries in the long term) the time you have to keep it plugged in is considerable.
A hydrogen fuel cell model is refueled in a similar way to gasoline or diesel and the process to completely refill the tank takes about 5 minutes .
Autonomy comparable to that of a thermal car
Another aspect in which battery electric cars are behind, even though in recent years they have gained points in this section: the range of an EV tends to be quite fair and to find a model comparable to a thermal car You have to go for very expensive cars.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars do not suffer from this problem, since they easily exceed 600 km of autonomy and can reach up to 1,000 km without experiencing any type of surcharge.
The autonomy does not weigh down the weight of the car
Related to the previous point, in a battery-powered electric car, to achieve greater range, you have to install larger and heavier batteries, so while greater autonomy is achieved, the efficiency of the model is also harmed.
BMW has started limited production of the first Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) with hydrogen fuel cell technology, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen.
This does not happen in a hydrogen model, since the additional weight involved in carrying more liters of material is merely testimonial.
Recycling your batteries is easier
A problem with EVs that is not yet being faced but that will be key in the future is the recycling of their batteries. As they are extremely complex elements, recycling them is an expensive and very complicated process; a problem that fuel cells do not pose, both due to their simpler composition and the presence of materials that can be reused.
Your batteries last longer
Furthermore, the previous point is reinforced by the fact that hydrogen car batteries resist the passage of time and use better , maintaining a greater useful capacity even after experiencing more cycles of use than the battery of a conventional EV, whose degradation is considerably faster.
The hydrogen network
One of the main obstacles to the implementation and democratization of this technology is that the hydrogen network is practically non-existent . Spain is an extreme case in this regard, but the rest of the European countries are not even remotely close to an ideal situation.
Furthermore, the construction of a hydrogen station is very expensive and requires a large investment, which few people believe can be profitable, especially given the virtual absence of models that use fuel cells. The whiting that bites its tail.
Expensive to produce
Everything around the hydrogen fuel cell car is quite expensive, starting with the energy it uses. Producing it is not cheap , especially if you want it to be green, that is, its production does not involve the generation of polluting emissions.
An expensive energy
Here conventional electric vehicles win the game, since recharging a battery is considerably cheap, while refueling with hydrogen has costs similar to the price of filling a tank with gasoline or diesel .
Low energy efficiency
Another of the main drawbacks of fuel cell technology is that its energy efficiency is far from optimal . It has energy losses both while it is stored and while it is being used, which is why very large tanks are needed and which means that its use is mainly intended for long-distance transportation (trucks).
Hydrogen cars are expensive
This is a consequence of the fuel cell car ecosystem: since hydrogen is expensive to produce, there is a fair network of hydrogen plants and there are not many models for sale; The price of automobiles is very expensive , since it is not a general technology that, when used en masse, allows costs to be reduced.
