It seems clear that the electrification is the future of the automobile. Whether it is the conviction of the manufacturers or the obligation of the administrations, which sometimes make decisions thinking regarding the votes before the planet is not known, but what is certain is that the future of the automotive industry is electric. However, is it just electric? Everything seems to point in that direction, with regions like this Europe determined to ban combustion for the next decade and manufacturers developing electric vehicles to meet European restrictions and requirements. However, there might be alternatives, including zero emissions, which are perfectly feasible. And one is the hydrogen.
L’ hydrogen is the most abundant element of the Terra and there are already ways to use it in propulsion vehicles, which is also clean according to the mode of production. In addition, it can be used in what is known as fuel cell technology or in combustion engines, an alternative in which several brands are working, such as the recent alliance between Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Kawasaki i Yamahawho believe that the future is a mix of electrification and other options, such as hydrogen, that offer the customer a range of options to suit their needs.
Currently, only two hydrogen cars are sold, the Toyota Mirai and the hyundai nexus following the discontinuation, in 2021, of the Honda Clarity in markets such as the United States. Although sales grew by 82% last year worldwide, the final figure stood at 15,538 units, a ridiculous number considering that tens of millions of vehicles are sold annually. Despite its strengths, the lack of a determined bet has meant that hydrogen vehicles do not take off and compete with electric ones. In fact, the supply infrastructure is virtually non-existent, with, for example, only six stations in Spain.
Advantages and disadvantages
The vehicles of hydrogen current, still lacking combustion engines of this fuel, operate as the electric cars. Its electric motors are powered by electricity created in a component called a ‘fuel cell’ from the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen in a reaction that only produces water vapor and electricity. The benefits are clear. They are ‘zero emission’ vehicles, lighter than electric vehicles, as the battery is small, and the supply is fast, as much as filling a gas tank. Disadvantages include a high price of cars, the result of the little advancement of technology and the lack of research on brands, the aforementioned lack of infrastructure and the cost of obtaining hydrogen by electrolysis of water, the only production process 100% net.
Although it has everything once morest it, several companies are investigating the potential of hydrogen for the future. Signatures com BMW they test on specific models, such as the iHydrogen Next for the German mark or a variant of the Defender from Land Rover adapted to use this technology. Even in competition they see hydrogen as a potential fuel for the future. In the Japanthe aforementioned group is working to create combustion engines and compete with hydrogen cars, while the organizers of the Extreme E are preparing for the arrival in 2024 of the Extreme Han equivalent competition, but from vehicles powered by hydrogen battery technology.
Although hydrogen is starting to gain momentum in the automotive industry with the support of several brands and some countries, such as Spain, which are studying investing in opening more hydrogen refueling stations, some giants, such as the Group Volkswagenone of the most invested in electrification, and Honda they deny the potential of hydrogen for the future of the automotive industry.
