Hydrogen-cars on the advance

Climate change, energy crisis - it is becoming increasingly clear that it is high time to act and rethink the way we use our resources. Against this backdrop, hardly any other topic polarises politics and the public as much as the relationship between the energy transition and the mobility sector, which needs to be sought anew. A switch to alternative fuels and drive systems is imperative. Experts as well as players from the automotive industry agree on this. However, it is still under discussion what exactly the mobility of the future should look like. For a long time, the debate seemed to be in favour of electric vehicles. Now that critical voices are getting louder, other options are gaining ground. Especially in the Asian industrialised countries, the hydrogen engine is instead the focus of interest for car manufacturers, he says.  

There are many aspects in favour of the increased production and use of fuel cell cars, more often simply called hydrogen cars. It is true that, like electric cars, their price on the market remains higher than that of cars with conventional engines. It is true that without an appropriately developed charging infrastructure supplied above all with clean energy sources, they are also no more attractive than purely electric vehicles. However, their potential in terms of climate neutrality is almost more promising. Thanks to electrolysis in the fuel cell, hydrogen cars are even more emission-free locally. No exhaust gases except for condensed water are produced when driving. No soot, no nitrogen oxide and no CO2. Here, too, however, the electricity must come from renewable energy sources to ensure (almost) complete decarbonisation.  

At present, however, there are still very few hydrogen cars on the road. In 2021, only 17,000 cars with fuel cell drive systems were sold, about 1,600 of them only in China. In Europe, these are instead often only used in heavier vehicles, mainly as a replacement for e-drives when their range proves insufficient. So the market remains divided mainly between carmakers like Japan's Toyota and South Korea's Hyundai.  

However, other car companies are now pushing for it and want to compete with the big electric mobility brands such as Tesla. The Chinese company "Changan Automobile" is particularly competitive and announced in June its new "SL03" model, the largest series production of cars with this type of drive in the world to date. The first mass sales of the "SL03" are to take place as early as next August.  

Toyota, however, has set itself even more ambitious goals. In collaboration with the Fukushima prefecture, the company not only wants to convert to pure hydrogen-based goods transport, but also to expand the fields of application of this technology. New electrolysis plants and green stationary fuel cell generators are to ensure climate-neutral business operations in the Japanese metropolis in the future. Even in the event of a power cut, offices and shops can remain supplied with electricity and make a strong contribution to climate protection.  

Hydrogen technology thus seems to be on the advance. Whether it will live up to expectations and gain a foothold in the West remains to be seen. A balanced combination of different green drive types, from electric drive to fuel cells, could be the most realistic and efficient choice. In the hands of car manufacturers, as well as politicians worldwide, now lies the groundbreaking decision.