Hydrogen cars have been pitched as a tantalising glimpse of the future for decades. Usually taking the form of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, they appeal to the forward-thinking because they promise the holy grail of zero emissions in combination with the kind of driving range and refuelling experience we’re used to with petrol and diesel cars.
This is similar to a BEV, except that instead of a battery pack there are hydrogen tanks and a fuel cell – known as a fuel cell stack – where the chemical reaction takes place. The electricity comes from a chemical reaction involving a catalyst that separates the hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons.You can’t just walk into a showroom and drive one away, but there are two hydrogen cars on sale in the UK from mainstream manufacturers right now: the
Hydrogen combustion cars will be even more familiar, as they substitute hydrogen for petrol or diesel but use it in the same way. Performance isn’t usually quite as good, and they may sound slightly different – but otherwise the experience is the same.continues to disprove the old saying ‘there’s no such thing as bad PR’, hydrogen cars have a large number of safety systems built-in to prevent accidents.
Green hydrogen, especially when it’s produced in the UK, can be far more expensive – even 15 times as much. And that’s before you add the costs involved with transporting it and running the fuel station, which is also an expensive business.