Engineers have tried to harness the power of hydrogen and create a viable alternative fuel source for a decade now, but there are still challenges ahead. At present, electric batteries dominate the market for alternatively fueled vehicles. The comparatively slow success of cars running on hydrogen can be attributed to two issues that need to be resolved. These are efficiency maximization and the cost reduction of hydrogen power.
Hydrogen fuel is commonly produced through either electrolysis or a steam methane reforming process. Electrolysis generates energy from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. This process produces water as a byproduct but not carbon dioxide (CO2) and therefore distinguishes hydrogen-sourced fuel from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas, which do emit CO2 and other pollutants. In contrast, the steam methane reforming process creates large amounts of CO2. Through this process, the production of one kilogram of hydrogen generates a byproduct of seven kilograms of CO2. This is because fossil fuels such as natural gas are used to produce hydrogen.
At present, the steam methane reforming process is the more common method for producing hydrogen fuel. The reason for this is that electrolysis requires a large amount of energy to extract hydrogen. At present, the energy input at production is greater than the output. Moreover, if the electricity used to extract hydrogen through electrolysis is sourced from fossil fuels, it is also not environmentally friendly. Thus, green energy should be used instead. In order to make hydrogen cars a marketable competitor of electric cars engineers must improve the efficiency of environmentally friendly hydrogen production.
Due to its physical properties, hydrogen is difficult to safely store and transport to fuel stations. This factor can drive up costs. Once hydrogen is made available at fuel stations, customers can fill the fuel cell of the car with hydrogen to operate the car. The hydrogen feeds the fuel cell of the vehicle, creating a continuous energy production process. The issue is that cells are expensive because a component of the cell is platinum, a high-cost metal. This also increases car prices. Therefore, cell technology requires further refinement.
In addition to concerns about the cost and cleanness of hydrogen power, stakeholders are also worried about the public perception of hydrogen as unsafe. After a fuel station in Norway exploded in June 2019, the reputation of hydrogen has suffered. As a result, several hydrogen stations in Norway, Denmark, and Germany were closed. Hydrogen is perceived as highly combustible despite the fact that the chemical element is not more flammable than commonly marketed fossil fuels, according to the research and industry association Hydrogen Europe.
Despite such concerns, three major advantages make hydrogen energy an attractive power source of the future. Firstly, unlike renewable, zero-emission energy sources like wind or solar power, hydrogen belongs to the group of power sources that is independent of external factors like the weather. Secondly, passenger cars with a fully charged hydrogen tank can drive up to 500 kilometers (310 miles), which exceeds the reach of most electric cars. Finally, similar to gasoline-fueled cars, hydrogen cars can be recharged in a matter of minutes. This gives hydrogen cars another advantage over electric cars, which require approximately 30 minutes or up to over 12 hours to recharge, depending on the battery and the car model.
Betting on these benefits, stakeholders such as the Hydrogen Council or Japan are investing in hydrogen-sourced energy. The Hydrogen Council is a global conglomeration of multinational energy and transport corporations like 3M, Air Liquide, Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, Shell, and Alstom that promote the development of hydrogen power. Members of the initiative hope to raise the number of hydrogen vehicles to 400 million passenger cars, 20 million trucks, and 5 million buses worldwide by 2050.
One country that is particularly enthusiastic about the development of hydrogen fuel is Japan. Cultivating the hydrogen vehicle market, the Japanese government is supporting carmaker Toyota with subsidies to construct hydrogen fuel stations across the country. Japanese automobile manufacturers Honda and Nissan also contribute to the proliferation of these fuel stations. This could potentially boost hydrogen car sales in Japan. Frontrunners are the passenger car model Toyota Mirai, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, and the Nexo by Korean carmaker Hyundai. Data shows that there are only 11,000 hydrogen cars in operation worldwide, most of which are in California. With the help of cooperation projects between Japan and Australia, Japan anticipates an increased supply of hydrogen fuel to facilitate hydrogen car sales.
To summarize, hydrogen fuel comes with a range of benefits but must meet a number of challenges that hamper its market competitiveness. The catch-22 of hydrogen power is that fuel production and cell technology is expensive, which makes fuel and car prices high. If cars are not within an affordable price range for customers, the number of buyers will remain low. This means that there are not enough vehicles on the roads, which makes the proliferation of fuel stations unprofitable. Therefore, fuel stations will remain rare and customers will continue to select cars that run on different sources of energy, particularly when they are less expensive. In order to break this cycle, fuel cell development must be advanced, fuel production costs must be decreased, and fuel stations must become increasingly available. This will boost the market permeation of hydrogen vehicles. One potential option to realize this goal is the implementation of government subsidies, as Japan demonstrates. If stakeholders are unable to unlock the door to efficiency maximization and cost reduction, electric cars could potentially stay in the lead position in the race for zero-emission energy sources for passenger cars.
