Electric cars | Hydrogen, the plan B of automotive electrification
While the entire auto industry seems to be turning to the battery-powered electric vehicle, others like Land Rover, Toyota and Hyundai, to name a few, are still betting on hydrogen. . Wasted effort ? Nothing is less sure.
Indeed, these manufacturers believe that since we do not know which technology will gain the upper hand and that the situation varies from one country to another, it is important to prepare for the future by not neglecting any option. The hydrogen fuel cell is one of them. The very short recharge time and the autonomy comparable to that of a gasoline model apparently supplant the crippling faults of the electric (weight and density of the batteries).
A feat with, at the end of the day, the same ecological advantage of zero CO2. For little, of course (and this also applies to the “traditional” electric vehicle), that energy is produced in an ecological way and not using fossil resources.
An expensive network
Never mind, a battery electric car has an energy efficiency of around 70 to 90%, while this drops to just 25 to 35% for a fuel cell vehicle, according to several experts. .
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DAIMLER
The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck
They also underline the very high cost of setting up a charging network. For all these reasons, the majority of manufacturers prefer to bet on the progress of batteries, but do not rule out the hydrogen sector in the case of heavy-duty trucks, or even airplanes.
Moreover, Airbus has presented three concepts so far. Still, some industry analysts are hinting at the birth of a dual-mode electric vehicle that could run on a battery and a fuel cell.
