2023-09-20 10:28:53
Hydrogen cars, long presented as alternatives to traditional thermal mobility, are struggling to appeal. However, the list of advantages is long when we talk regarding this type of vehicle: clean energy, great autonomy, fast charging… So many characteristics which are not enough to place synthetic fuel at the rank of must-have, like the electric car. A reputation that is unlikely to improve in 2023…
Summary :
Hydrogen cars: prohibitive prices
To date, hydrogen car models remain few in number. We can notably cite the Japanese manufacturer Toyata et sa Mirai or the Korean Hyundaiwith its famous Nexo, released in 2018. However, these models have in common a particularly prohibitive price, which has enough to cool even the most daring: count approximately 72 000 € for the first and 80 000 € for the second. Under these conditions, we quickly understand the reason why thebuying a fuel cell car remains to this day a rare, even anecdotal, approach. This is evidenced by the 14 sales of vehicles of this type in 2021. Furthermore, this is without counting the amount of repairs possible on this type of vehicle. Last August, Till Westberg, happy German owner of a Hyundai iX35 F-Cell, had the unpleasant surprise of being honored with a quote in the amount of… €103,764, for the changing the fuel cell of his vehicle. A story which, although fortunately not commonplace, contributes to making the hydrogen car an unusual purchase to say the least, with the most eco-friendly motorists inevitably preferring it. the essential electric car. Indeed, the latter benefits, in addition to an excellent reputation, from a wide range of models and much more affordable entry prices. For a Skoda Citigo-e iV, for example, you have to count “only” 20 000 €. We are therefore far from the €80,000 of the famous Hyundai Nexo!
However, let’s not be too hasty regarding the hydrogen car which, even if it has its share of disadvantages, is no less advantageous on many points:
A vehicle that produces no emissions: In operation, the hydrogen car only produces water and does not emit carbon dioxide or fine particles.
Better autonomy: As for the electric car, you should count on an average autonomy of 300 km. The hydrogen car allows you to benefit from around 650 km, that is to say more than double that of its electric counterpart.
A full express: unlike electric cars which can require up to several hours of recharging before hitting the road, filling up with hydrogen is identical to filling up with traditional gasoline. It only takes a few moments to fill your tank!
The hydrogen recharging puzzle
Even with this set of advantages, France currently only hasaround forty charging stations dedicated to hydrogen vehicles. You will therefore have to be patient and anticipate a good number of kilometers on the odometer before being able to refuel your 100% ecological vehicle. An observation which is unlikely to improve, despite the good intentions of the recovery plan announced by the Governmentwhich planned 7,200 million euros of investments in this energy by 2030. In fact, players in the sector seem to be deserting the area.
Denmark, which was to have 19 hydrogen stations to allow the establishment of a network by the end of 2023, is withdrawing its marbles. L’Danish operator Everfuel, in charge of the project, made the decision to backtrack and his famous stations will ultimately not see the light of day. Worse still, its three existing stations are currently being closed. The cause: a significant loss of money. During the first half of 2023, the company has already lost no less than 11 million euros as part of its hydrogen distribution operations.
Don’t panic, however, hydrogen in France does not yet seem to have said its last word. Last July, the operator Hype announced its ambition to deploy no less than 26 hydrogen stations, just in the Ile-de-France region before the end of 2025. The future will therefore tell us whether the hydrogen bet was a winner.
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