We've heard a lot about electric cars in recent years, as manufacturers strive to create a greener way of powering vehicles. Now, the experts are considering whether hydrogen cars are the future.
While there are a few on sale already in the UK, few people have even heard of them. Car manufacturers have been testing hydrogen fuel cell technology for several years as they endeavour to find an effective way of using the world's most abundant resource to power a vehicle.
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You may think hydrogen cars are futuristic but in fact the first one was designed back in 1806 by François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss engineer and inventor. However, although his internal combustion engine powered by a mix of hydrogen and oxygen worked well, the concept car he designed was a failure and disappeared without a trace.
The first modern hydrogen fuel cell car was created in 1966 by General Motors, who designed a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electrovan. The prototype began the modern evolution of technology to create a new generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Some progress has been made since the 1960s, but it has been slow in comparison with the development of electric vehicles. To date, there are only two mainstream hydrogen-powered cars in existence, the Hyundai Nexo and the Toyota Mirai.
Let’s examine whether hydrogen cars could be the future of motoring, or whether electric vehicles are the way forward...
What is a hydrogen car?
Officially known as a hydrogen fuel cell car, this type of passenger vehicle is very different from other vehicles on the road today. There isn't an internal combustion engine in the car at all. It is replaced by a fuel cell that generates electricity using hydrogen.
Unlike current electric cars that need charging at a power point, a hydrogen car needs to be filled up with hydrogen at a pump. Unlike petrol and diesel cars' harmful exhaust emissions, the only emission from a hydrogen car's tailpipe is H20 - harmless water.
Supporters of the new type of hydrogen car say we're never likely to run out of hydrogen, as it's the most common element in the universe.
From 2025, you won’t be able to buy a new car in the UK that doesn't have an electric motor, so looking at new eco-friendly ways of powering vehicles is something every motorist should be concerned about.
Benefits of hydrogen cars
The fact that hydrogen cars produce no harmful emissions is a major benefit, while being able to fill them up at a pump, like you can with a diesel or petrol vehicle, is also an advantage.
One of the criticisms of electric cars is a shortage of charging points nationwide and the fact the car can only travel for so long before it needs a recharge. This could make a long journey even longer, as motorists would need to find a charging point en route and then wait for the car to charge.
With a traditional electric car, getting lost on a road trip isn't an option! No one wants to be worried about their power running out because they've misjudged the time and distance of their journey and there are no charging points in the vicinity. This would leave your vehicle immobile and in need of towing back.
As the owner of a hydrogen car, all you'll need to do is fill it up at a pump at a petrol station. The hydrogen will generate electricity to power the car. The vehicle combines hydrogen and air (oxygen) to generate the electricity. Electric motors used in hydrogen cars are almost the same as the ones in regular electric cars: they take energy and transform it into movement.
The benefit of the hydrogen car is that when it's empty, you can fill it up in a few minutes and you're set to go. Its onboard generator enables you to be on your way immediately. This is so much more convenient than a regular electric car.
Disadvantages of hydrogen cars
Some significant challenges might explain why progress has been so slow. First, hydrogen is expensive, so the costs of motoring would notably increase. There is also a lack of infrastructure for mass manufacturing and the use of hydrogen cars. The cost of creating such an infrastructure would be phenomenal.
There is also an argument that hydrogen cars could be less green than regular electric cars. Critics argue their environmental credentials depend on whether the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy or fossil fuels. They claim the latter would make the technology far less green.
Hydrogen cars vs electric cars
Experts are divided on whether hydrogen cars will ever truly compete with electric cars. While both types of vehicles don't produce harmful exhaust emissions, the fact that hydrogen isn't totally green is a stumbling block.
While hydrogen is clean while powering the car, getting the liquid hydrogen into the fuel pumps requires a lot of energy. Much of the current production to fulfil the process uses fossil fuels, so this contributes to global warming more than a regular electric car.
However, in terms of convenience, the hydrogen car wins hands down, as the driver doesn't need to take time out while it charges – although his is only the case if the government is prepared to spend vast amounts of money upgrading the UK infrastructure to accommodate this new type of vehicle's needs!
Currently in Britain, there are very few hydrogen pumps to fill up your car. They are hardly on every street corner and are rarer than electric car charging points. While it's possible to work out a long journey in an electric car by finding out the location of charging ports, you would be hard pushed to travel cross country in a hydrogen car.
Fuel stations are few and far between, with the majority clustered around London. The cost of hydrogen can be an issue too, as it is quite expensive: fully charging an electric car from a home charger costs about £8 a time; filling up the tank of a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai is about £75.
Analysts say the infrastructure problem and the cost will improve overtime, as more people buy hydrogen cars. However, currently, with so few fuel stations, it seems more sensible to use a regular electric car as a green alternative to petrol and diesel.
