In order for us to be able to compare the two most popular options for alternative vehicle propulsion systems (Hydrogen and Electric), we need to understand The Hydrogen Fuel cell a little better.

First off, in order for the Hydrogen Fuel cell to work properly, one would need a pure form of Hydrogen gas (I.E. carbon-free), oxygen which can be derived from the air, and a catalyst for the reaction in order to create electricity, which in turn propels the car. So basically it’s a mini power factory generating electricity derived from Hydrogen which is stored in high-pressure tanks on the vehicle (that’s a scary topic all it’s own , but I guess we ARE comfortable with flammable/toxic petrol in our cars, so whatever!) The only “waste” would be water. However, even under tremendous pressure, prototype hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have a range of about 100 miles. The popular theory that one could extract Hydrogen from water stored in tanks on the vehicle through electrolysis is far too expensive, inefficient and impractical to implement anytime in the near future. A slightly different option may be to use a large on-board reformer that would pull hydrogen out of a fuel such as methanol, but you would still be left with toxic pollutants including CO2, and the demand for whichever fuel is required would rise steeply, which would defeat the purpose.

With all that in mind, you may or may not know that car manufacturers are anything between 10 to 25 years away from seeing mass-market hydrogen-powered vehicles, since the technology is still a way off. And what of infrastructure? Well, you’d basically have to convert every single petrol station into a Hydrogen station – that’s a HUGE project, and a LOT of money! It would take a long time to replace the existing infrastructure with a hydrogen manufacturing, distribution and fueling infrastructure , and involves many risks, expenses and by-products we may even still be unaware of. On the other hand, a battery powered electric vehicle uses an infrastructure that is already available in every modern country known to man: you household’s electricity supply.

You may think “OK, 10-25 years, plus maybe another 10 years to fully replace the infrastructure. No big deal, we can wait.” I beg to differ! What of our “global warming issue?” But more practically, let’s look at our oil supply issue. Ex CEO of Total, one of the major global oil companies, predicted that oil output would peak around 2020. The Current CEO says that 100 million barrels per day production is “in my view, an optimistic case.” Here’s where the crisis lies: calculations based on the current global trends (for example, 15% per annum growth in Chinese demand on for oil) suggests that 140 million barrels per day would be needed by 2030. I think the figures speak for themselves – roughly translating to global economic depression long before 2030!

The bottom line is that EV’s are by far the most suitable substitute available to us right now, both economically and for the health of the Earth. I don’t necessarily rule out that a technology of tomorrow may come about which proves otherwise, but for now pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking isn’t helping the situation! EV technology is available today, and constantly improving, allowing for the transition from conventional vehicles to EV’s to be a relatively painless process, and as mentioned earlier, the infrastructure basically already exists. You may feel that my position on this is biased, but I challenge you to find facts that prove me wrong!