Hydrogen cars are powered by an electric motor.
However, there is a difference to other electric vehicles: hydrogen vehicles produce the electricity themselves. This means that their power does not come from a built-in battery, as is the case with purely electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged from an external power source.
The pros and potential of
hydrogen cars
The main pro – and the biggest competitive advantage – is the short refueling time. Unlike the charging time of e-cars, which are dependent on both the model and infrastructure, it just takes three to four minutes to refill the hydrogen tank. This brings vehicle availability and flexibility into line with those of a regular car.
Hydrogen is refueled through special pumps. This infrastructure is constantly being expanded worldwide. Studies undertaken for Germany demonstrate that an infrastructure with electric charging and hydrogen refueling stations is cheaper overall than a pure electric charging infrastructure.
There are a range of reasons why hydrogen cars are currently more expensive than comparable e-cars with batteries or internal combustion engines. Industrialization in production is not yet fully developed and the demand for platinum also plays a role. It acts as a catalyst in electricity generation. Low production volumes are also a factor, albeit a temporary one. Hydrogen technology is very similar in the way it is used for many applications – for example, commercial vehicles, trains, aircraft or even fixed location solutions – so it can be assumed that increased production volumes will produce benefits.
How environmentally friendly and sustainable are hydrogen drives?
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce zero greenhouse gas emissions, as their only byproduct is water vapor. This makes them an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
Are there risks associated with hydrogen drives?
What happens when hydrogen reacts uncontrollably with oxygen? As many people know from chemistry class: an oxyhydrogen reaction occurs. This means hydrogen is flammable. To prevent hydrogen and oxygen reacting out of control during operation of a fuel cell car, the hydrogen in the vehicle is stored in gaseous form in thick-walled tanks, which are particularly safe. Numerous crash tests have validated the safety of this design: the tanks were undamaged and no hydrogen leaked out.
