fewer pollutants, less noise, and no need to even charge up your vehicle. could this be real? or are we pulling your leg?
we are, indeed, serious: hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (fcevs) offer all three of these amazing capabilities and more. so, how come you’ve never, or rarely, heard of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, even when they sound like a step up from regular hybrid evs? in this post, we run you through hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and explain how they work, thanks to the experts at fingo.
hydrogen fuel cell tanks are classified as electrical vehicles, but they differ from regular electric vehicles in one way: their batteries don’t need to be charged up because they can produce electricity on their own. in fact, they have their very own little powerplant on board.
hydrogen fuel cell technology is very clever. in fuel cell technology, a process called reverse electrolysis takes place, in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the fuel cell.
fuel cell vehicles need two things to run: hydrogen and oxygen. they have onboard hydrogen tanks which need refilling, while the oxygen comes from the ambient air – meaning it just sucks up air wherever you are! unless you’re on mars, there’s nowhere you can’t drive it. the results of this reaction are electrical energy, heat and water, and the only thing that’s emitted is water vapour, making them locally emission-free.
like other e-cars, hydrogen vehicles can also recover braking energy. the electric motor converts the car’s kinetic energy back into electrical energy and feeds it into the back-up battery.
there are a ton of benefits to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be charged in a matter of minutes, unlike normal hybrid cars which usually take several hours. refilling hydrogen is the only thing you need to do when refuelling a fuel cell vehicle.
while plug-in electric vehicles have a range of about 30-50kms on their battery alone, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have roughly the same range as a small petrol car. a full tank of hydrogen typically gets you 480km, making them far more practical for long trips.
cons of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
that being said, there are currently a few issues that arise from owning a hydrogen fuel cell car.
currently, there aren’t many options for refuelling a hydrogen vehicle. however, they are slowly increasing, with germany having committed to establishing 400 hydrogen refill stations by 2025.
want to get your hands on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle? check in with the team at fingo – australia’s car buying experts. they can help you secure hydrogen fuel cell vehicles like the new toyota mirai, one of the world’s first fcevs. fingo is dedicated to finding the best car-buying solution for your needs, whether it’s a loan, lease or trade-in. talk to the experts at fingo today.
