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Fuel Cell Cars: A Commercial Failure, IDTechEx Reports
On the topic of range and range anxiety, it is also important to consider the ubiquitous deployment of charging infrastructure. Currently, sufficient hydrogen re-fuelling infrastructure does not exist to make fuel-cell car purchases tempting even for the early adopter, in part because they are an order of magnitude more expensive to deploy than fast electric chargers, as shown below.
So why should we pay attention to fuel cells? Well, they are not off the table yet in heavy-duty long-range applications such as off-road, marine and long-haul trucking. The problem is, compared to cars, these are all relatively low-volume markets and will struggle to reduce costs quickly. Batteries also compete in these areas, which means the application would need to have very specific requirements which rule out a battery. For example, re-charging massive energy capacities (over 1MWh) in a few minutes.
FCEVs will have wider uptake in certain countries with a strategy for a broader hydrogen economy, but this will be regionally isolated and not the global trend. It will also prove a disadvantage for automakers having to develop different zero-emission vehicles for different regions, particularly as startups focus purely on BEVs and set the bar high. Further research on the Hydrogen economy can be found in the IDTechEx report "The Hydrogen Economy, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Production Methods".
In short: if a battery can do it, it is currently the best value option for the consumer and environment. And a battery can do it for cars.
For more information, IDTechEx analyses electric vehicle markets, energy storage trends and demand across land, sea and air. This is summarized in a master electric vehicle market report, found at www.IDTechEx.com/EV. Further in-depth analysis can be found in the full portfolio of electric vehicle research available at www.IDTechEx.com/research/EV.
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
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