Sylvie Willis
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are vehicles that use hydrogen as their source of energy. The first hydrogen car was developed in 1807 by Swiss inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz, who created a vehicle with an internal combustion engine powered by a balloon filled with hydrogen and oxygen. However, the first modern hydrogen-powered vehicle was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966. Since then, several car companies have released hydrogen-powered vehicles, including Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, and BMW. Hydrogen fuel cell cars offer certain advantages over traditional gasoline-powered cars, such as reduced emissions and increased energy efficiency. However, they also face challenges, including the high cost of production and the limited infrastructure for hydrogen refueling stations. Despite these obstacles, the market for hydrogen fuel cells is projected to grow, and advancements in technology may make hydrogen cars a more viable option in the future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First hydrogen car | In 1807, Swiss inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz created the first internal-combustion-engined (ICE) vehicle to be powered by hydrogen. |
| First modern hydrogen-powered vehicle | The first modern hydrogen-powered vehicle was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966. |
| First commercially produced dedicated fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) | The Toyota Mirai was the first commercially produced dedicated FCEV, launched in 2014. |
| First hydrogen car with mass production | The 2013 Hyundai Tucson FCEV was introduced as the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. |
| First hydrogen car with government certification | The Toyota FCHV and Honda FCX became the first government-certified commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2002. |
| First hydrogen car designed for mass production | The Honda FCX Clarity, launched in 2008, was the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle designed for mass production. |
| First hydrogen car with a dealer network | Honda established the world's first fuel cell vehicle dealer network in 2008. |
| First hydrogen car with a hydrogen refuelling station in Australia | The Nexo by Hyundai, launched in 2018, was the first FCEV to be made commercially available in Australia. |
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What You'll Learn
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs)
However, HFCVs also have their disadvantages. The most challenging is the availability of hydrogen fuel. While plans from a decade ago called for California to have 100 hydrogen stations by 2022, the number is fewer than 60. This number isn't growing much; Shell recently closed its seven hydrogen stations in California. Not all these stations are online and available for fuelling at all times.
The first road vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966. The Toyota FCHV and Honda FCX became the world's first government-certified commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2002, and the Honda FCX Clarity, which began leasing in 2008, was the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle designed for mass production. Honda established the world's first fuel cell vehicle dealer network in 2008 and was the only company able to lease hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to private customers.
In 2013, Hyundai claimed that its Hyundai Tucson FCEV was the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. However, Toyota launched the world's first dedicated mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, in Japan at the end of 2014. It began sales in California, mainly the Los Angeles area, and also in selected markets in Europe, the UK, Germany and Denmark later in 2015. The Mirai has a range of 312 miles and takes about five minutes to refill its hydrogen tank. By the end of 2019, Toyota had sold over 10,000 Mirais.
In 2015, three hydrogen-powered cars were offered for sale from three different car companies: the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the Hyundai Nexo SUV, and the Toyota Mirai. However, Honda has now ended production of all models of the Clarity, and Hyundai has sold only about 1,600 Nexo SUVs in six years.
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Hydrogen cars' pros and cons
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are related to electric vehicles but differ in some key ways. Hydrogen cars are powered by a fuel cell stack that combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, rather than relying on electricity stored in a battery. This technology offers several advantages, such as:
- Zero tailpipe emissions, with water vapour being the only waste product.
- Short refuelling time of around 5 minutes, similar to gasoline vehicles.
- Good range, with some models offering 380-400 miles per tank.
- Instant torque.
- Quiet operation.
- No large batteries are required, as fuel cells convert hydrogen to electricity in real-time.
- Hydrogen is an abundant natural resource and can be made from renewable energy sources.
However, there are also several drawbacks to hydrogen fuel cell cars:
- High costs associated with extracting, storing, and transporting hydrogen.
- Limited infrastructure for refuelling, with a small number of hydrogen refuelling stations available in certain areas, such as California.
- Hydrogen fuel production often relies on non-renewable energy sources like natural gas and coal, which produce CO2 emissions.
- Hydrogen cars can be more expensive to drive than comparable electric vehicles.
- Safety concerns have been raised regarding hydrogen flammability and the risk of electrical shock.
- The future of hydrogen cars is uncertain, with electric vehicles receiving more attention and investment.
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Hydrogen fuel cell history
The history of hydrogen fuel cells can be traced back to the 1800s. In 1800, Anthony Carlisle and William Nicholson passed an electrical wire through water and observed the disengagement of gas, which they correctly speculated to be hydrogen and oxygen. This experiment led to the creation of the world's first electrolyzer.
In 1838, Welsh physicist and barrister Sir William Grove developed the first fuel cell, which he described as "composed of alternate tubs of oxygen and hydrogen". However, the electricity produced by Grove's fuel cell was not sufficient for commercial use. The term "fuel cell" was first used in 1889 by Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer, who built a fuel cell prototype using industrial coal gas and air, which produced significantly more electricity than Grove's invention.
In 1932, English engineer Francis Thomas Bacon successfully developed a 5 kW stationary hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell, which was first used in NASA space programs in the mid-1960s to power satellites and space capsules. In 1955, W. Thomas Grubb, a chemist at General Electric, modified the original fuel cell design by using a sulphonated polystyrene ion-exchange membrane, with another GE chemist, Leonard Niedrach, devising a way to deposit platinum onto the membrane as a catalyst. This became known as the "Grubb-Niedrach fuel cell", which was further developed with NASA and McDonnell Aircraft and used during Project Gemini, marking the first commercial use of a fuel cell.
The first road vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966. However, hydrogen fuel cell cars remained largely as one-off demonstrations until the Toyota FCHV and Honda FCX became the world's first government-certified commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2002. The Honda FCX Clarity, which began leasing in 2008, was the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle designed for mass production. In 2014, Toyota launched the Mirai, the world's first dedicated mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, with Hyundai introducing the Nexo in 2018.
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Hydrogen fuel cell technology
In the 20th century, hydrogen-powered vehicles were largely experimental, with the automotive industry dominated by gasoline-powered combustion engines. However, this did not stop innovations in hydrogen technology, such as the hydrogen-powered truck developed by Norway's Norsk Hydro in 1933.
The first road vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966. Since then, several vehicle manufacturers have experimented with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and created hydrogen storage systems. The first commercially produced dedicated FCV was the Toyota Mirai, launched in 2014. The Mirai has a range of 312 miles and takes about five minutes to refill its hydrogen tank.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use electric motors powered by fuel cells, rather than drawing electricity from a battery. In a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce electricity and water vapour. This process is highly efficient and results in low power losses. Hydrogen burns cleaner than fuels such as gasoline or methane, but it is more difficult to store and transport due to its small molecule size.
While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been available for several years, their sales have been limited due to competition from battery-electric vehicles. However, there is still a market for hydrogen-powered vehicles, particularly in the commercial and mass transit sectors. Recent studies have also shown a shift in public opinion towards favouring hydrogen as an alternative clean energy source.
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Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles' market
Hydrogen vehicles include road vehicles, rail vehicles, space rockets, forklifts, ships, and aircraft. Hydrogen vehicles generate motive power by converting the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy. This is achieved by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell to power electric motors or, less commonly, by hydrogen internal combustion. Hydrogen burns cleaner than fuels such as gasoline or methane but is more difficult to store and transport due to the small size of its molecule.
As of 2021, there were two models of hydrogen cars publicly available in select markets: the Toyota Mirai (2014–), the first commercially produced dedicated fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), and the Hyundai Nexo (2018–). The Honda Clarity was produced from 2016 to 2021. In 2022, 17,000 or fewer hydrogen-powered vehicles were on US roads, all in California, the only state with a network of retail hydrogen fueling stations.
The global hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market size is valued at USD 0.2 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 2.1 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.0%. The market is expected to grow due to government subsidies for environmentally friendly hydrogen production, the development of an integrated hydrogen ecosystem, the launch of new-generation H2 fuel vehicles, and original equipment manufacturers' (OEM) plans to establish their own H2 refueling ecosystems. Leading OEMs such as Toyota and Hyundai are driving the adoption of fuel cell cars across the Asia Oceania region, which has the largest H2 refueling station presence.
The cost of fuel cells has decreased by 80% since 2002, according to the American Department of Energy (DoE). The cost of FCVs has also plunged over the last decade, especially for buses, due to innovations and production improvements. The increased affordability of hydrogen-powered FCVs makes them a more attractive fuel source for everyday use. The global FCV market is projected to grow from $2.5 billion in 2022 to over $30 billion by 2032, a more than 25% compound annual growth rate. This growth is driven by stricter vehicle emission regulations, government investments and subsidies in FCV and green hydrogen development, and the growing adoption of passenger FCVs in Asia, particularly in Japan and South Korea.
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Frequently asked questions
The first hydrogen fuel cell car was the Chevrolet Electrovan, introduced by General Motors in 1966.
Toyota built the first commercially produced dedicated fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), the Mirai, which was launched in Japan in 2014.
Honda built the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle designed for mass production, the FCX Clarity, which was available for lease in 2008.
