Introduction

In 2022, the price of natural gas in the UK increased by 500 percent, a prominent example of a global energy price surge due to a significant energy crisis.The shortage can be partially attributed to geopolitical conflicts between Ukraine and Russia as well as between Israel and Iran, the two largest suppliers of traditional energy sources, and has posed serious questions to the development of sustainable transportation. While the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced people’s willingness to ride public transport, the accessibility of electric vehicles (EVs) has made more people shift to private transportation. With an average price advantage of US$10,164 per vehicle, the EV market took off during this era along with their perceived sustainable edge.

However, even though EVs are considered more environmentally friendly than traditional cars, their hybrid nature still means that they require fossil fuels in operation. In order to address the primary energy problem, several car companies have pivoted towards utilizing hydrogen fuel as a selling point for their new product, claiming that it is an almost entirely sustainable resource with some manufacturers already investing in research on it. For example, the Toyota Mirai has been of interest, with a horsepower of 182HP, as well as the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, with a horsepower of 401HP. Effectively addressing the global energy crisis requires collective effort from governments, international car corporations, and individual drivers. Hydrogen, as a promising alternative energy source, offers significant opportunities to reduce dependence on fossil fuels but also introduces challenges in terms of infrastructure, cost, and resilience in the face of climate change.

Hydrogen as EV Fuel

Chemically speaking, hydrogen has long been considered one of the most ideal vehicle power sources. Electrolysis, the most typical way of producing hydrogen, is a perfectly clean process where no pollutants are produced. Due to these features, people considered it the panacea substitute for fossil fuel. However, the massive production of hydrogen is mostly realized through steam methane reforming, a new technology that produces hydrogen with the side product of carbon monoxide, a human toxin. Moreover, methane is also a greenhouse gas harmful to the environment.

Hydrogen as an energy source is highly priced, presenting another limitation. In 2020, the cost of the hydrogen was 8.03 euros (US$8.39) per liter, about six times the price of the gasoline at 1.62 euros (US$1.69) per liter. The exorbitant green premium of hydrogen, which refers to the staggering price difference between two similarly-sustainable substitutes, makes it scarcely affordable. Whereas the key to solving environmental problems is to reduce the green premium, the current situation of hydrogen prevents this as hydrogen remains inaccessible to the public. Therefore, its sustainability effect is also limited.

Theory Behind Hydrogen-Fueled Engines

Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are distinct from traditional EVs with hydrogen cell fuel engines. Using electric motors, the traditional EVs employ the theory of electromagnetism, which produces a force on the motor and adjusts the direction according to Fleming’s left hand rule. Hydrogen cars, instead, are powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota, the first company to commercialize hydrogen-fueled cell vehicles, introduced a process known as reverse electrolysis, which generates electricity and water vapor. As benevolent as this process sounds, the hydrogen stored in constantly moving vehicles may become dangerous for passengers. The manufacturer needs to reinforce the vehicle with proper technology to protect the hydrogen stored in the car.

Security Concerns

Hydrogen storage in the form of gas remains challenging, so a preferable way is to use high pressure to condense hydrogen into a liquid state. Though viable in an industrial setting, the high pressure imposed on liquid hydrogen can be unstable when installed in commercial cars. Not only are accidents highly likely during the usage, but an explosion—one common consequence of misusing hydrogen—can cause devastating damage to the car owner and passersby. Also, hydrogen is extremely flammable when the temperature of the environment is too high, which makes hydrogen-fueled vehicles particularly vulnerable and hazardous in the face of extreme weather conditions. Nowadays, due to global warming, the average temperature is rising around the world, which becomes a threat to hydrogen cars since research has found that an increase in temperature can reduce their durability more severely than traditional vehicles. Meanwhile, the lightness of hydrogen will reduce the weight of the car, making hydrogen cars less resistant to extreme weather, such as typhoons, potentially leading to them enduring much more damage than traditional cars.

There are many other potential costs and areas of lost efficiency associated with hydrogen cars. First, not only is hydrogen storage expensive, it also demands a continually high-pressure environment, although not being able to withstand this pressure for a long time. In addition to hydrogen’s high price, hydrogen cars have little price advantage compared with traditional EVs, mounting up to roughly US$60,135 per vehicle. Last but not least, the maintenance and storage of hydrogen add an additional US$1.34 per kilometer to upkeep costs compared with traditional EVs, with this cost fluctuating seasonally. The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of hydrogen cars makes them less desirable, especially as the risk-averse nature of consumers steers people away from such a highly combustible energy source.

Economic Efficiency

Consumers are concerned with the economic efficiency of hydrogen cars. The common projection of the commercial success of hydrogen cars is based on the market; it avoids the information failure of the general public. However, the EV boom in China was largely due to the Chinese government’s subsidies between 2009 and 2023. The subsidy value was US$2,800 per purchase of EV, which assisted domestic EV companies in staying afloat in their early years by handing out procurement contracts. This resulted in sales of 6 million EVs in 2022, accounting for more than half around the world and resulting in a reduced amount of carbon dioxide emission.

Despite this, as traditional cars are still widely used, the large scale production of hydrogen cars in the absence of policy or infrastructural support will result in excess capacity, making sustainable efforts a problem of consumerism in disguise. All economic circumstances, in addition to the nature of hydrogen, undermine the possibility of hydrogen cars overcoming the global challenge of energy shortage.

Conclusion

While the wide-spread adoption of hydrogen-fueled cell vehicles faces significant challenges, technological advances and policy accommodations can enhance the viability of this clean energy. The increase in gasoline prices will continue to nudge manufacturers and individual drivers towards seeking clean, accessible, and effective energy, making hydrogen-fueled electric vehicles a more attractive alternative in the long run. As international automotive corporations move towards the goal of zero net energy emissions, and with continued technological advancements to lower costs and strategic subsidies, hydrogen-fueled cell cars may emerge as an ideal and accessible new choice for consumers.