Can a hydrogen car dethrone electric cars of the future?

Auto experts agree that the future belongs to electric cars However, the question is being asked more and more often - is energy storage in batteries the only option? Manufacturers looking for new solutions have been developing hydrogen technologies for years in the hope that they can become a great alternative.

From the outset, this technology had two clear advantages over machines powered by energy stored in batteries First, filling up with hydrogen takes only a few minutes, and second, the driving distance with a full tank is not much different from an internal combustion car.

"Hyundai ix35 FCEV", which debuted in 2013, became the first mass-produced car with hydrogen fuel cells In 2015, "Toyota" introduced the first generation "Mirai", and a year later appeared " It's just a matter of finding the most efficient way to get it.

"We can get hydrogen cheaply from natural gas, but this process releases CO2, and then we have to solve the problem of storing this gas The electrolysis method is ecological, but more expensive.

In Europe, it is the latter that is promoted because it is possible to use electricity from renewable sources at the same time," explains the scientist Compared to energy storage in batteries, the indisputable advantage of hydrogen technology is significantly faster filling.

Even with fast stations, it takes about 30 minutes to charge the battery, while hydrogen tanks can be filled in 3-4 minutes This difference is even greater when charging the battery from a home outlet or a wall-mounted station.

"Initially there were concerns about the safety of filling the tanks, but current technology prevents spills and other accidents even when the user makes a mistake The current equipment of hydrogen stations guarantees that everything will be fine," Jons Vanags refutes a myth that is still alive.

Mass production will reduce the price A hydrogen tank contains about 5 kg of compressed hydrogen In terms of volume, such tanks do not differ much from a traditional fuel tank - the volume of a passenger car's hydrogen tank reaches approx.

75 liters and is enough for at least 500 km Whereas an economy-class electric car can go about 350 km on a single charge.

The latest generation models, such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6, go further, but their performance is not better as a hydrogen car "Furthermore – which is not unimportant – a powerful car with a full standard hydrogen tank can travel 500 km, without worrying about power consumption.

At the same time, an electric car will rarely go beyond the maximum declared by the manufacturer," the scientist highlights the main difference So far, the biggest disadvantage of a hydrogen car is the price.

It will cost at least 60 thousand euros "Hydrogen cars are not mass-produced yet.

But once it starts, the price will drop significantly For now, the market for such models is not large.

I think - if the necessary infrastructure is created, they will appear on our roads in the next five years," the scientist is sure The by-product is only water vapor.

Cars with a hydrogen cell lag behind ordinary electric cars in terms of efficiency After charging the battery of an electric car, more than 95 percent of it the energy is used efficiently, i.

e it is transferred to the motor that turns the wheels.

In contrast, the efficiency of the hydrogen system reaches about 70 percent "In this case, electricity is obtained by hydrogen flowing through a special fuel cell, but during this process approximately 30 percent of the energy is converted into heat," explains Jon Vanags.

Currently, the main focus is on developing hydrogen-powered passenger and freight transport This technology would be particularly useful in cities, as its only byproduct is water vapor.

Currently, pilot projects with such buses are being implemented in German cities, and the company "Hyundai" is supplying test buses to those municipalities Infrastructure should be built However, the most urgent problem at the moment is the lack of infrastructure.

The cost of creating a hydrogen station is gradually decreasing, but it still needs about a million euros The largest network of hydrogen stations is being built in the state of California (USA).

South Korea, Japan and Germany are also paying a lot of attention to it, and China is installing such stations quite rapidly, but other countries are still cautious about this technology "It is predicted that in 2026, a hydrogen station will cost 300-500 thousand euros, which is already similar to a normal gas station.

Also, the cost of hydrogen production is decreasing 10 years ago, one kilogram cost about 16 euros, but now the costs have decreased to 6 euro," says the scientist.

Hybrids maintain their position It is expected that changes in the auto industry will become more rapid in the next couple of years However, while we wait for them, the best alternative, which allows reducing the fuel consumption and environmental impact of traditional cars, is still hybrids of various types.

Unfortunately, there are not yet enough charging points on our roads to plan a mass switch to electric cars, so when driving on the busiest roads outside the city, a motorist may have to wait an hour or even longer until his turn at a charging station comes "Hybrid gives more peace and freedom for the time being.

When traveling with it, you can be sure that you will not have to stop somewhere outside the populated area and wait several hours for technical assistance to help you get to the charging station," says Jon Vanags And another aspect - the design of electric cars is not so well suited for countries with a cold climate.

On a cold winter day, the battery works weaker - its capacity, ability to store energy and transmission efficiency decrease As a result, range is also significantly shortened, so trips need to be planned even more carefully.

to plan a mass switch to electric cars, so when driving on the busiest roads outside the city, a motorist may have to wait an hour or even longer for his turn at a charging station "Hybrid gives more peace and freedom for the time being.

when driving on the busiest roads outside the city, the motorist may have to wait an hour or even longer until his turn at the charging station comes "Hybrid gives more peace and freedom for the time being.

Hybrid brings more peace and freedom for now When traveling with it, you can be sure that you won't have to stop somewhere outside the populated area and wait for several hours while technical assistance helps you get to the charging station," says Jon Vanags.

And another aspect - the design of the electric car is not so well suited to countries with a cold climate On a cold winter's day, the battery works more poorly - its capacity, ability to store energy and transmission efficiency decrease As a result, the range is also significantly shortened, so trips must be planned even more carefully.

And another aspect - the design of electric cars is not so well suited for countries with a cold climate On a cold winter day, the battery works weaker - its capacity, ability to store energy and transmission efficiency decrease.

As a result, range is also significantly shortened, so trips need to be planned even more carefully And another aspect - the design of electric cars is not so well suited for countries with a cold climate.