Hydrogen. The word is on everyone’s lips, in every conversation. Civil aviation, freight transport, rail, mobility, a large number of sectors are affected by this energy revolution. An energy that offers many promises, therefore, but what is it worth compared to electric cars?
Generally speaking, electric will become more and more of a type of engine in the coming years. If we look at the share of electric cars in the sales of different brands in 2021 in France, we realize that the electric “revolution” is underway: 162,114 new registrations of new 100% electric EVs, or 9.8 % share of the automobile market in mainland France (1.8% in 2018).
What about hydrogen cars? These are electric and considered cleaner and more convenient. They operate using a fuel cell. Liquid hydrogen is stored in a tank and produces electricity through a chemical reaction. The car only emits water vapor.
In 2021, sales of hydrogen cars reached a new record with 8,400 units sold, an increase of 84% compared to 2020. Despite everything, we are far from EV sales.
However, hydrogen cars offer serious advantages. The main thing is the range of action. Toyota’s Mirai can drive 650 km on a single tank. On the other hand, filling the tank is very quick, just a few minutes. In contrast, the range of EVs reaches 400 km and recharging takes a long time. The transport sector, particularly goods, but also the utility sector, is very interested in hydrogen.
On the other hand, finding a charging station can be a headache, and this is especially true for hydrogen. The “Global Market for Hydrogen Fueling Station” study, published by the Information Trends firm, counts nearly 600 hydrogen fueling stations around the world at the end of 2020, including around fifty in France. On the other hand, France has 50,000 electrical terminals for recharging EVs.
Finally, at an ecological level, in theory, hydrogen is cleaner… but on condition that it is produced with renewable energies. In this case only, the hydrogen obtained is called “green”. But this method is very expensive and its yield is quite low. Today, 95 to 96% of hydrogen is produced with fossil fuels: oil and natural gas. For its part, electricity from batteries is produced with cleaner energies such as wind turbines, solar and nuclear power. On the other hand, the conditions for extracting materials for the manufacture of batteries pose serious ethical problems, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. More and more associations, such as Amnesty International, are advocating for ethical batteries while highlighting the important role that EVs play in solving the climate crisis.
Hydrogen remains a serious avenue for the future, particularly for road transport of goods, which consumes kilometers. It is also for individual cars, but on condition of producing green hydrogen. For its part, EVs remain the most attractive. They will continue to be so, especially if manufacturers continue to engage in projects that are both economic and humanitarian, for the fair extraction of minerals. Finally, others are developing new batteries, without cobalt or lithium-ion. The future could then belong to both engines.
