Hydrogen cars. They seem to be popping up everywhere these days. From the Toyota Mirai to the Honda FCX Clarity, and the Hyundai Tucson FCEV to the Mercedes F-cell, the options are plentiful. If you live in California, it gets even more real because the California Fuel Cell Partnership is in the process of opening 50 hydrogen stations by the end of 2017. But as an enthusiast, does it really matter to you?
One could argue that these models aren’t exactly the sexiest vehicles on the road, so why should you care? Listen up:
First, let’s just get the whole process straight. Hydrogen cars are a lot like electric cars in that they both use a high-voltage electric motor to move the vehicle. But while EVs use electric energy that's stored in a big battery, hydrogen vehicles use a fuel cell system that generates electric power to run the electric motor.
Think of it this way: Electric vehicles run off of electricity, hydrogen vehicles make their own electricity by splitting hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity. That's why a F-cell's only emissions is water.
So that brings us to the first reason to embrace hydrogen.
#1. No range anxiety and quick to fuel.
Because they make their own fuel, the whole range anxiety is less of an issue in a fuel cell vehicle. In fact, the Toyota Mirai has the same range as a Tesla Model S 90D. The only difference is the quickest you can charge the Model S is an hour and refilling an F-cell takes about five minutes. That's because you’re not charging anything, just refilling your hydrogen supply. God knows, no enthusiast wants to be waiting at a charging station while his friends motor by.
#2. Hydrogen is the most plentiful element on the planet.
This means we don’t have drill into any polar bear dens or invade any countries to be sure we have it. It can be produced quickly, abundantly and domestically. The most common process is Steam Methane Reforming, meaning that the hydrogen is actually created out of waste — which makes this video of a guy drinking hydrogen tailpipe water even more hilarious:
#3. Big automakers are really committed to hydrogen.
Car companies have been pursuing hydrogen vehicles for longer than you think. In fact, the first internal combustion engine was powered by a mixture between hydrogen and oxygen, invented by a Swiss dude Francois Isaac de Rivaz in 1806. GM’s first hydrogen project was in 1966, and Mercedes released an experimental hydrogen vehicle in 1975.
But thanks to the renewed interest in sustainability, hydrogen is back and bigger than ever. Honda, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Ford have all been very open about betting on a hydrogen future. Tesla? Not so much. Elon’s got a battery empire to protect, so don’t expect much out of him.
#4. Hydrogen could revolutionize your passion.
Lastly, because supercar enthusiasts have really benefited from electric motors (think Porsche 918, Acura NSX, McLaren P1, BMW’s i8, the Ferrari La Ferrari… the list goes on), the unique benefits of hydrogen power could revolutionize the type of supercars, off-road vehicles or race cars we see in the future. The H2 Speed by Pininfarina is just the beginning. Here's to the next wave of motoring!
