Hydrogen vehicles use hydrogen as fuel.
The technology used to operate hydrogen vehicles is fuel cell technology.
As we explained in our article Fuel cells: how hydrogen vehicles work and why they are the solution of the future, hydrogen vehicles are a very promising option for the decarbonisation of road transport.
Not only that, they are also a valid alternative to hybrid and electric vehicles.
In fact, many car manufacturers are now looking with interest at fuel cells and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In particular, the first prototypes of fuel cell vehicles date back to 2019, developed by the Korean company Hyundai and the Japanese Toyota.
However, since then this technology has developed rapidly and today almost all major car manufacturers offer their own models of hydrogen vehicles.
In particular, there are three types of hydrogen vehicles currently on the market:
Let us look in more detail at the main characteristics of these three types of vehicles with hydrogen technology.
Hydrogen cars
Hydrogen cars use the same engine as electric cars.
This engine is combined with a fuel cell and an H2 tank to replace the lithium batteries of electric cars, which are heavy and have very long recharging times.
The properties of hydrogen-powered cars
Hydrogen cars have very advantageous properties:
- zero-emission mobility
- air purification
- quick refuelling at a hydrogen station
- long-distance driving autonomy
In fact, the hydrogen cars on the market today use innovative technologies that make them very efficient and non-polluting.
One example is the Toyota Mirai, with hydrogen-powered fuel cells, which guarantees zero-emission mobility and a driving range of up to 650 km.
Another example is the Hyundai NEXO, a fuel cell SUV with a driving range of 666 km (WLTP).
NEXO produces no polluting exhaust emissions.
In fact, while on the move it improves the quality of the air around it. In fact, NEXO’s filter removes microparticles and supplies purified air to the fuel cell system that needs it to function.
Unused air is expelled to the outside.
Other hydrogen vehicles that we can mention are the Riversimple Rasa citycar, produced by a small Welsh company, and the French sedan Hopium Machina.
Riversimple Rasa has an estimated speed of 100 km/h, with a charging time of about three minutes and a range of up to 480 km.
In contrast, the Hopium Machina offers 1000 km range on a single tank and takes 3 minutes to fill up, with a power output of more than 500 hp and a top speed of 230 km/h.
Medium-sized electric fuel cell vans
There are also hydrogen vehicles on the market that are larger than cars, such as fuel cell electric vans.
Examples of such hydrogen vehicles are the Citroën Jumpy, Peugeot Expert and Opel Vivaro, which use Stellantis technology, or the Renault HYVIA.
Let’s take a closer look at the features of these vehicles.
The characteristics of medium-sized fuel cell electric vans
High autonomy, fast refuelling and zero emissions are the main features of medium-sized fuel cell electric vans.
All while maintaining load capacity.
For example, Stellantis has developed a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell solution that combines the advantages of hydrogen fuel cells with those of electric battery technology in a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
In particular, Stellantis has designed a mid-power architecture that offers a range of over 400 kilometres and a refuelling time of just three minutes.
Hydrogen provides the energy needed for such an extended range, while a mid-capacity battery provides the power for dynamic performance, plus energy recovery and plug-in capabilities.
Renault has also developed a range of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. This is HYVIA, a zero-emission solution powered by green hydrogen, designed for sustainable professional mobility.
Specifically, the combination of green hydrogen with PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell technology generates the electricity needed to power the engine and recharge the vehicle’s battery.
The chemical reaction emits no pollutants and generates only water.
This technology offers the advantage of fast refuelling times (a few minutes) and a longer range (up to 400 km).
Hydrogen trucks
In addition to cars and medium-sized vans, there are already hydrogen-powered trucks on the market.
The world’s first fuel cell heavy truck was the Xcient Fuel Cell, introduced in 2020 by Hyundai.
To date, Hyundai has already delivered 47 units of the XCIENT Fuel Cell in Switzerland, which have accumulated more than 5 million kilometres in two years.
In addition, Hyundai announced last August that seven German logistics, manufacturing and retail companies will soon have 27 XCIENT Fuel Cells in their fleet.
This was made possible by funding supported by the German government as part of a programme promoting the use of sustainable driving systems, the development of refuelling/charging infrastructure and related feasibility studies.
The characteristics of hydrogen trucks
XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks to be delivered to Germany are equipped with a 180 kW hydrogen fuel cell system with two 90 kW fuel cell stacks.
The 350 kW electric motor with a maximum torque of 2,237 Nm enables dynamic driving performance.
The XCIENT Fuel Cell’s seven hydrogen tanks offer a combined storage capacity of around 31 kg of fuel, while a set of three 72 kWh batteries acts as an additional energy source. The maximum range is about 400 km per charge.
Hydrogen refuelling takes about 8 to 20 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature.
Volvo Truks also announced this year that it has started testing fuel cells in new-generation trucks.
The goal is to introduce them on the market by the end of this decade.
In conclusion, hydrogen is undoubtedly a viable and already charted path towards the goal of decarbonising road transport.
However, it still presents some obstacles.
One example: the limited presence on the ground of the necessary infrastructure for the massive spread of hydrogen mobility, starting with filling stations.
At Simplifhy we design and realise complete solutions for the production and use of hydrogen.
Our goal is to make our contribution to the creation of green mobility, contact us.
