Why hydrogen passenger vehicles are unlikely

There are too many challenges in the way for fuel cell electric vehicles to become a viable option for consumers, according to aftermarket experts.

The topic of hydrogen-powered vehicles for mass market use came up during a pair of discussions at the Worldpac Supplier and Training Expo. While generally acknowledging that FCEVs are superior to battery electric vehicles, hydrogen has many more obstacles for reaching the mass market than BEVs.

“It’s practical,” said Isaac Rodell, manager for Worldpac Training Institute’s alternative fuels training program, of FCEVs. “Your energy efficiency is there and you’re no longer restricted by just the battery range. You can refuel the vehicle [and] continue on your trip without having to wait for long charge times.”

But the problem is infrastructure, he noted during a meeting with media members at the event. A main selling point of BEVs is that vehicle owners can charge at home and not always rely on charging stations. With hydrogen you have to rely on a station for refuelling — and that infrastructure isn’t readily available now and there are not enough FCEVs out there to justify building many.

“We can pull hydrogen from the air,” Rodell said of the ease of providing the refuelling. But a hydrogen refuelling station “is not going to do a high volume of cars. It’s going to be a couple million dollars per fueling station. And you’re not going to have a high volume of cars that can come fill up there every day.”

Instead, he sees hydrogen as a better option for fleet applications and heavy-duty than consumer vehicles.

Luke Murray, an instructor and curriculum developer with the Worldpac Training Institute (WTI), agreed with Rodell’s assessment.

“That’s always been my vision of hydrogen fuel cell technology: Container ships, cruise ships, trains. That’s where it makes sense,” he said. “They’re going to be in port for a long time — fill it up. Why put diesel in there? Your ports — your trains and your ships are all coming in the same place — that’s where you get your hydrogen. They’re all next to the water, which is where most of our hydrogen is stored.”

He also agreed that the passenger vehicle market isn’t ideal for hydrogen due to the logistical and cost barriers.

“But I see replacing big diesel engines, absolutely. And even generators, too. I see backup generators that are run on old diesel motors on the tops of hospitals that can be replaced with hydrogen also,” Murray said.

“So hydrogen, I think to begin with, is going to be much more dedicated to fleet applications than it is to consumer vehicles.”

Eventually, Rodell anticipates EVs will make gains in how much range is available and catch up to where hydrogen is today. Batteries will change in the type of capacity they have, how quickly they can charge and how long it takes for them to discharge.

“But with the technology that is currently in production now, hydrogen will allow that vehicle to travel further,” Rodell explained.

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