The rise of battery-electric vehicles over the past few years has meant hydrogen cars have moved closer to the fringes of the new car market.
Until relatively recently, two hydrogen models were available in the UK as new cars but make no mistake: hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are slowly emerging and they could yet become a viable option for some use cases in the future.
But what actually is a hydrogen car and how do they stack up to petrol, diesel and electric vehicles? We have all you need to know right here, including the pros and cons of hydrogen cars, and what the future looks like for them.
What is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle?
Hydrogen cars, or hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (often shortened to FCEV), are vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen is stored in a tank at 700 bar and is used to generate high-voltage electricity to a small buffer battery, which provides transient power for acceleration.
While many people tout hydrogen as the fuel of the future, the truth is that hydrogen cars have been around for decades. In 1998, Mercedes-Benz produced the first road-legal FCEV with the A-Class-based Necar.
How do hydrogen fuel cell vehicles work?
Cars draw their power from a fuel cell stack, where oxygen and hydrogen react to generate electricity, sending energy to an electric motor. This means they drive much like an electric car.
Hydrogen cars produce zero harmful emissions at the tailpipe, making them a much cleaner proposition petrol or diesel cars, at least from the driver’s point of view.
How do you fill up a hydrogen car?
Hydrogen cars can be refuelled using a pump at a hydrogen filling station. Hydrogen filling stations look much like a regular petrol or diesel forecourt.
Refuelling a hydrogen car is a simple task - just open up the fuel filler cap and insert the pump. Typically, refuelling takes about five minutes.
The hardest part of refuelling a hydrogen car in the UK is finding a filling station. According to UK H2 Mobility, there are just six hydrogen filling stations available for public motorists in the UK.
Some are situated in Hatton Cross, London, Tullos in Aberdeen and the Advanced Manufacturing Park near Sheffield. There are plans for filling stations to be installed in Stockton-on-Tees, Glasgow and Newport.
British start-up Element 2 is also planning to open four filling stations in 2024. A further 30 pump locations will be identified, with plans to install additional pumps by the end of the year.
What's the latest on hydrogen cars?
A lot is going on in the world of hydrogen cars, with Hyundai currently setting the pace.
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Battery electric vehicles travel 3x further on the same energy as Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. Fuel cells are not efficient. However internal combustion is even worse. A battery electric vehicle travels 4-5 times further on the same energy as an internal combustion engine car.
Are the pimps trying to encourage more owners?