Electric VS hydrogen

In a world where zero-emission motoring is crucial to reducing pollution, battery electric cars are proving a popular option for carmakers and their customers. However, battery electric vehicles aren’t the only way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Carmakers have experimented with hydrogen vehicles for decades, using fuel cells to convert the most abundant substance in the Universe into electric energy. Hydrogen fuel cell cars have batteries onboard which store hydrogen and oxygen and power the vehicle with chemical reactions between the two elements to vehicles (FCEVs), they have exhaust pipes but the only thing that escapes from them is water. The cars need refuelling, but with hydrogen rather than petrol or diesel fuel. For each fill of hydrogen, the car will gain 320-405km

Though hydrogen fuel cell cars are widely considered too complicated for mass adoption, manufacturers such as Toyota, which debuted its second-generation hydrogen Mirai at the Tokyo Motor Show are adamant that the technology is better for the environment than battery electric vehicles.

RANGE

Range really depends on the vehicle you purchase – and the general rule of “you get what you pay for” rings true here. The more expensive mass-produced electric cars tend to offer battery ranges of about 500 kms.

For instance, the $140k Tesla Model S Long Range has a range of 600 kms. Other cars, however, can cost significantly less yet offer half the range. The Nissan Leaf for example, comes with a $50K price tag and a realworld range of 250klms.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles tend to be more frugal than their battery electric counterparts. The Hyundai Nexo comes with a real-world range of 666kms and filling up takes just five minutes, whereas electric charging can be an hour-long affair at the best of times.

As hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are still in their infancy, there aren’t any models at the budget end of the market. But on range alone, hydrogen seems to have the upper hand.

WINNER: HYDROGEN

EMISSIONS

It’s a common misconception that electric and hydrogen cars are zero emissions. While no gasses are emitted from their exhausts, the manufacturing process for both types of vehicle still results in CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere. Manufacturing a lithium-ion battery for an electric car is a “very energy-intensive” process. As an example, a 100kWh battery will give a potential range of 400 kms and, in order to produce that battery, it will take around 20 tonnes of CO2. A typical battery lasts for 245,000kms, so that equates to around 83g/km of CO2. Then, when you take into account charging over that same distance, the same battery car will deliver 124g/km of CO2 over its lifetime.

By comparison, a recent study found that a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car produces around 120g/km of CO2 over its lifetime when the manufacturing process is taken into account. But if hydrogen were to be produced by renewable energy, that figure could be reduced significantly. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have their sceptics, though, including Tesla chief Elon Musk.

WINNER: DRAW

COST OF OWNERSHIP

Electric vehicles aren’t the cheapest cars on sale. For example, a Jaguar I-Pace will set customers back about $125K, while a Renault Zoe can be had for around $50K. Customers do however, save money on charging with an average cost of $4.50 in electricity to travel 100kms.

But if you thought owning an electric car was expensive, think again. Not only are hydrogen cars more expensive to buy outright, they are also costly when it comes to filling up. A Hyundai Nexo, for instance, carries a price tag of $120K in the UK after government grants. While that isn’t drastically more than the I-Pace, a full tank in a hydrogen car could cost anywhere between $80 and $140 based on UK pricing.

WINNER: ELECTRIC

VERDICT

While electric cars appear to have the edge in today’s environment, a number of manufacturers are still committed to hydrogen fuel cell cars - meaning that the technology may one day find its place in the motoring world.

The reality is hydrogen fuel cell cars are several years behind battery electric vehicles in terms of innovation, which is why they’re so expensive to own and run. Given enough time and money, hydrogen vehicles may become the more accessible option for our kids or grandkids. But electric cars are evolving at a rapid rate too, and more environmentally-friendly battery options may open up in the future.

For now, though, electric cars appear to be the go-to mode of transport for those looking to do their part in cutting emissions.

WINNER: ELECTRIC (FOR NOW)

EXTRA: Australia enters Hydrogen market

Local company ‘H2X Australia’ based in Port Kembla, NSW, hopes to revive the car manufacturing industry in Australia, and createup to 5,000 new jobs, through the production of a new hydrogen-fuelled

SUV with a driving range of 650km called Snowy in 2022. They plan to produce a range of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) from people movers to heavy duty vehicles such as tractors and even trains. The plan is for 5 and 15 refueling stations to be installed by the middle of 2021 in locations that would serve the back-to-base nature of H2X’s commercial customers. Then, H2X wants to work on a plan to get stations into cities with a view for private hydrogen vehicle use. Watch this space.