Why does Elon Musk not like hydrogen?

A few years ago, when the subject came up during a discussion with reporters at the Automotive News World Congress, the electric vehicle magnate described hydrogen fuel cells as “extremely silly.” In June 2020 he tweeted “fuel cells = fool sells,” adding in July of that year: “Hydrogen fool sells make no sense.”

Why does Elon Musk not like fuel cells?

Far too expensive, inefficient, slow and difficult to rollout and transport. After all: no #hydrogen cars in sight” last year, Musk was quick to reply in agreement. @Teslarati Diess is right.

Why is hydrogen not a future car?

“Toyota and Hyundai aren't pushing their hydrogen programmes, because there's no infrastructure,” he told Autocar. “If you build an intercity limo like the Mirai, you need 300 filling stations to create a credible market for your car, whereas if you build a local vehicle, one filling station is enough.”

Why are hydrogen cars not popular?

Storage of hydrogen fuel cells is much more complicated and expensive than other fuel types. This adds to the overall costs of products and raises prices for automakers. The fuel cell can be dangerous due to its highly flammable nature. This makes it a dangerous fuel to have in a vehicle if it crashes.

Will hydrogen cars overtake electric?

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature has confirmed what common sense has made clear for years: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles aren't likely to catch up to battery-electric vehicles – even for commercial trucks.

Why Elon is Wrong About Hydrogen Fuel

What is wrong with hydrogen cars?

The two prime dangers from fuel cell and hydrogen-powered vehicles are the danger of electrical shock and the flammability of the fuel. Fuel cells power vehicles by electro-chemically combining hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen (O2) from the surrounding air into water (H20) and electrical energy.

Is hydrogen better than electric?

Depending on the model, they can boast a well-to-wheel efficiency of around 70 to 80 per cent. By comparison, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicle (FCEV) is positively parsimonious, with an overall efficiency of somewhere around 30 to 35 per cent.

Is hydrogen fuel cell the future?

While we believe that the absolute majority of commercial vehicles will be electric going forward – a mix between hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric – there will still be applications where we will need combustion engines for a long time.

Does hydrogen have a future?

Producing hydrogen from low-carbon energy is costly at the moment. IEA analysis finds that the cost of producing hydrogen from renewable electricity could fall 30% by 2030 as a result of declining costs of renewables and the scaling up of hydrogen production.

Are hydrogen cars cheaper than electric?

This is why most today most hydrogen fuel is obtained is by the process of natural gas reforming, which is less expensive than electrolysis.

Could hydrogen fuel replace fossil fuels in the future?

Highly combustible, hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels as a carbon-free source of energy.

What are the disadvantages of hydrogen fuel cells?

Is Tesla investing in hydrogen?

Elon Musk shocked followers on Twitter early this morning with his announcement that, after many years of scepticism, he will be switching Tesla from batteries to hydrogen power in 2024.

Can hydrogen cars explode?

Its vapors don't pool on the ground, as do gasoline's heavier-than-air vapors. So in most cases, hydrogen doesn't present as great a fire or explosive danger. To further minimize the potential for explosion, almost all hydrogen fuel stations store the gas above the ground in well-vented areas.

Are hydrogen fuel cells safe?

Fuel Cell Electric cars are as safe as conventional vehicles. Toyota has spent many years testing hydrogen-powered cars in extreme conditions and temperatures to ensure they can be used safely and reliably, just like any other Toyota.

Is hydrogen worth investing in?

Hydrogen is one of the most promising alternative fuels

Hydrogen energy has enormous potential. The emissions-free fuel could help decarbonize heavy industry, replace natural gas, and store renewable energy, paving the way for a truly net-zero world. As such, it represents a multitrillion-dollar market opportunity.

Is hydrogen cheaper than gasoline?

Because hydrogen contains less energy per unit volume than all other fuels, transporting, storing, and delivering it to the point of end-use is more expensive on a per gasoline gallon equivalent basis.

What countries use hydrogen fuel cells the most?

Japan has the greatest number of hydrogen fuel stations of any country worldwide. As of September 2021, there were 154 operational hydrogen refueling stations in the country.

Who will win electric or hydrogen?

Hydrogen wins in terms of speed and range. Fast chargers give you about 80 per cent in 30 minutes, and you get well over 200 miles per full charge. The Mirai gets up to 380 miles and will re-fuel in 3-4 minutes.

Why can't cars run on water?

Water cannot burn, so the only way to get energy from water is by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The problem in doing this is that the amount of energy required to separate water into constituent elements is more than what you get back when they recombine inside the fuel cell.

Why EV is not the future?

The batteries in electric vehicles put them at the top list affecting the environment. Like all car parts, those batteries will need to be replaced after some time if you want to keep your car on the road.

Will electric or hydrogen cars be the future?

Going forward, we expect hydrogen vehicles, particularly depot-based transport including buses, to constitute the bulk of 2020s hydrogen demand from the mobility sector. Fuel-cell hydrogen buses have a range similar to their diesel counterparts.

Is hydrogen better than gasoline?

In fact, a fuel cell coupled with an electric motor is two to three times more efficient than an internal combustion engine running on gasoline. Hydrogen can also serve as fuel for internal combustion engines. However, unlike FCEVs, these produce tailpipe emissions and are less efficient.

Why is the Mirai so cheap?

The short answer is: The Mirai is cheap because of the massive incentives offered when purchasing a new model, the most popular three-year lease with free fuel, a small number of charging stations, and a dose of uncertainty in the technology from the general consumer base.