Can hydrogen fuel cells solve the pain points of electric vehicles?

OEMs are responding to government mandates and consumer desire for low energy, carbon-neutral vehicles. While plug-in electric vehicles receive plenty of airtime, a less understood option is hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs), which have been of interest to several manufacturers with myFC having last week launched a hybrid vehicle concept.

All around the world, governments are implementing policies to promote electric vehicles to reduce oil consumption, climate-related emissions, and improve local air quality. Most of the attention has been dedicated to plug-in electric vehicles. Tesla has been working with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) to develop batteries that can last a million miles, also aiming to reduce the costs of electric Teslas. Last week CEO Elon Musk announced, “Battery Day” will be held in September this year, and Tesla will unveil their latest battery tech to investors.

Another way: Hydrogen Fuel Cells

But besides plug-in electrics, there’s another option, Hydrogen Fuel Cells (HFCs), an electrochemical power generator that combines Hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat as by-products. HFCs form energy that can be used to power anything from commercial vehicles to forklifts and drones.