Solving the Conundrum of Battery Electric Cars Versus HydrogenElectric Vehicles

Abstract

The hydrogen powered vehicle was invented long before the battery electric car but both were beaten by the petrol/diesel combustion engine that is now being chopped as the zero-emission transition of many nations is aiming for net zero in 2050. The conundrum is that present designs of vehicles might be pure battery or could instead be hydrogen-fuel-cell-battery drive train, allowing much more onboard energy storage. The success of the lithium battery that started near 2008 has been extended in many countries, giving exponential rise in pure battery designs, but there are several snags that still need to be solved. In contrast, the hydrogen-fuel-cell-battery-electric-vehicle only became economically viable near 2018, giving a decade lag, but with numerous advantages such as low price, less weight, long range and rapid refuelling. The purpose of this paper is to outline key difficulties, mainly of infrastructure, before attempting to predict the future advances of both technologies.