Statement: ‘Hydrogen car is the future’

Battery electric cars offer several advantages. Anyone who does not care about the lack and character that a more traditional combustion engine offers, benefits from direct power delivery, silent driving, linear acceleration and, moreover, is not ruined financially at the gas station. Add to that the environmentally friendly character of a regular EV and it is nice to imagine that many people see the future of the automobile in EV land.

But in EV land there is an interesting region in which electrically powered cars do not have a huge battery pack and you can fill them up in no time, just like a car with a combustion engine. We are talking about cars with a fuel cell on board, the so-called Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV). A major advantage of such hydrogen cars is not only the lack of a heavy battery pack that is often filled with materials that are not particularly sustainable, but also the shorter time it takes to be able to continue driving. A disadvantage is still the infrastructure. Even in countries such as the Netherlands and Norway, where the battery-electric car is rapidly becoming established, the infrastructure for hydrogen cars is still lagging behind.

Toyota Mirai

And manufacturers?

In addition, not every car manufacturer believes in the use of hydrogen in passenger cars. Hyundai was there relatively early with the iX35 Fuel Cell and now also supplies an SUV with a fuel cell in the form of the Nexo. Toyota has the second generation of hydrogen car Mirai in the showrooms. Although you can’t knock on BMW’s door yet, BMWs that like hydrogen will soon appear on the road. For example, a small series of the iX5 Hydrogen Next will hit the road in Europe this year. BMW had already developed a ‘hydrogen 7 series’ in 2005, although that car had a combustion engine that liked both petrol and hydrogen. While BMW, together with Toyota, is emphatically positive about the future of hydrogen cars, Mercedes-Benz – although previously also busy with fuel cells – seems to see a role for hydrogen technology, especially for large, heavy vehicles. Stellantis is developing a range of fuel cell commercial vehicles. Renault too, which, like several brands such as Ford and Porsche, is interested in the development of combustion engines using hydrogen as fuel. In addition, Nissan and Honda, together with an extensive club of Japanese companies, are part of a partnership that should work on the development of hydrogen cars. Honda is no stranger to this, as it already had a fuel cell car with the FCV Clarity, among others. Ambitious start-ups have also discovered the hydrogen car, although we are mainly presented with fierce extremists or distant prospects. Incidentally, hydrogen cars have never been cheap.

Earlier this year, a majority of the transport committee in the European Parliament voted in favor of a plan that, among other things, should increase the number of hydrogen filling points. That Fit-For-55 plan states, among other things, that a hydrogen station must be installed every 150 kilometers on important routes.

You already feel it, we are curious about your opinions. Time for a round of voting, in which we posit the following proposition:

‘Hydrogen cars are the future’

Can you find yourself in that? Why or why not? To be clear: the statement does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the AutoWeek editors.

You can add explanations and arguments in the comments. As always, your opinion does not have to be someone else’s. We should all be on AutoWeek.nl because we have a thing for cars, so be kind to each other and try not to get too carried away.