Fuel-cell cars can carry enough hydrogen fuel for a range of 300 to 400 miles and their tanks can be refilled as quickly as a standard car's gas tank. There are dozens of fuel cell buses in use or planned in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Massachusetts, as well as in California. The normal service of a hydrogen car that does not include the hydrogen tanks, the fuel cell or the pipes that connect them is like that of any other vehicle. Since hydrogen fuel is a specialized product for the general public, the small network of retail stations naturally charges high prices.
To compensate for this disadvantage, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota have offered their tenants and buyers free hydrogen fuel for several periods. These include heavily draining fuel from hydrogen tanks in specific types of outdoor areas away from buildings. It is the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, similar to an electric vehicle, but with specific differences that make hydrogen cars different and much rarer. Unlike most common battery-powered electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles don't need to be plugged in, and all current models exceed 300 miles of range with a full tank of fuel.
However, unlike gasoline cars, for which there is a well-developed set of more than 100,000 service stations across the country, hydrogen engines are completely dependent on both a reliable supply of gas itself and on an available and properly functioning high-pressure refueling station. Leasing has been a popular choice among consumers for electric cars with fuel cells and batteries because the technology is new and early adopters don't want to be tied to a current model for a long time as technology advances and efficiency improves. Although fuel cell vehicles themselves only emit water vapor through their exhaust pipes, the Union of Concerned Scientists points out that the production of hydrogen can cause pollution. Ford has experimented with fuel cell variants of its Focus and Fusion cars, as well as with the Edge crossover, but doesn't offer any of those vehicles for sale.
As with any new technology, fuel cell costs should decrease if the market grows and achieves economies of scale in manufacturing and infrastructure. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) combine hydrogen stored in a tank with oxygen in the air to produce electricity, with water vapor as a by-product. In California, the debate continues as to whether the subsidies offered by the state to boost the fuel cell market have amortized investment, judging by the limited use of service stations and the lack of profits. The co-founder and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, has dismissed hydrogen fuel cells as stunningly stupid, and that's not the only negative thing he's said about the technology.
Creating an entirely new fuel supply network from scratch has proven to be much more problematic, both expensive and unreliable, than automakers had anticipated, and fuel is more expensive for drivers than gasoline.
Leave Reply