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Narrator: If you ask anyone what the future of cars looks like, they’ll probably tell you it’s electric and that Tesla is at the forefront of the movement. But what if I told you that there’s another option that could be just as good or even better than battery-electric vehicles? What if you could power cars with the most abundant resource in the universe with water as the only byproduct? And they’re more likely to disrupt the auto industry than battery-powered cars, like Teslas. Hydrogen fuel cells have been a technology of great promise as well as great skepticism. Elon Musk himself often mocks hydrogen fuel cell technology, going so far as to call them “fool cells” and “mind-bogglingly stupid.” But major automakers still see promise.
First, let’s describe the terms. Battery-powered electric cars, or BEVs, are the electric cars that most of us know today, like Teslas. They use a battery to buy electrical power and force the electric motor. A mobile hydrogen fuel electric vehicle, or FCEV, such as Toyota’s Mirai, combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electric power, which then forces the electric motor that drives the car. Now, when it comes to why other people don’t buy electric cars with battery equipment like Teslas, there are 3 main reasons: they take too long to recharge, have a limited lifespan before they recharge and charge much more. Comparable gas car. So how do hydrogen cars accumulate in those areas?
When it comes to recharging, hydrogen cars have battery-electrics beat. At a supercharging station, a Tesla can charge anywhere from 30% to 50% in 15 minutes, but you’ll be at the charging station for over an hour for a full charge. Fuel-cell vehicles don’t require charging at all. The hydrogen tank is refilled at a hydrogen station in less than five minutes, just like your typical gas station today. That’s because FCEVs don’t store electricity like a battery; they create it on demand to power the motor. When it comes to range, hydrogen-powered cars seem to come out on top again. Between the three fuel-cell vehicles on the road today, they have a range of 312, 360, and 380 miles. Most electric vehicles have a range under 250 miles. While some Tesla models offer a range of more than 300 miles, they often cost more than the average car buyer can afford.
Range and refueling times are so important that 78% of automotive executives believe fuel-cell vehicles will be the breakthrough for electric mobility. But that’s not to say fuel-cell vehicles don’t have challenges of their own. FCEVs need more competitive pricing. The suggested retail price for the fuel-cell vehicles available today is around $60,000, which is about $20,000 more than an entry-level BEV. That’s because production size of these vehicles is incredibly low. With only a few thousand or few hundred being made every year, it’s nearly impossible for prices to be competitive. But that could soon be changing. Automakers are looking to increase the production of their FCEVs. Toyota, in particular, has increased its production capabilities tenfold to eventually bring down the cost of its Mirai. The real challenge for hydrogen fuel cells is the lack of infrastructure. In the US, the majority of hydrogen stations are in California, with just over 40 available to fuel-cell owners. For FCEVs to become the breakthrough that automotive executives believe in, a vast network for hydrogen stations is vital. And automakers are slowly working to make it happen.
Jackie Birdsall: We do get to work together with the other automakers, as well as with, you know, here in California, the state of California and the industrial gas suppliers, or whomever the energy provider is, to be able to site hydrogen stations where it makes the most sense for all of the automakers’ vehicles. And so that’s to try to make sure that any investment that we make is best leveraged by all of the consumers from all of the automakers that currently offer fuel-cell vehicles.
Narrator: If and when mobile fuel cars evolve, Tesla will face a major challenge. They will want to increase battery life and reduce charging time and price. But Teslas, and all battery-powered electric cars, are limited due to the law of declining performance. Increasing diversity requires a larger battery. A larger battery will carry more weight to the car. After a safe spot, the loaded weight no longer provides charging autonomy. With the FCEV, it’s just a set of numbers. More hydrogen stations are equivalent to more cars, and more cars are equivalent to more affordable mobile fuel cars. Tesla has a blockade on the zero emissions market in the United States, controlling 60% of the electric vehicle market. But it’s still only 2 percent of the global U.S. auto market. And the numbers are transmitted when we communicate about the global automotive market. The only thing that really slows down the FCVUs is infrastructure, and as hydrogen stations become more abundant, Tesla may lose the importance of the zero-emissions market. For a generation that is “incredibly stupid,” it has a good chance of becoming a genuine festival for the same consumers that Tesla is targeting. Then Elon might wish to take note.
REDACTION NOTE: This video was originally released in January 2020.