Hydrogen Vs. Battery Electric: Which Is More Environmentally-Friendly?
It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that we were only just starting to see hybrids on American highways, and the idea of an all-electric vehicle was more of a novelty than a viable option. Now, you’ve got everything from plug-ins to standalone hybrids, EVs, and cars powered by hydrogen, like the Toyota Mirai.
Hydrogen-powered cars, or FCEVs (fuel-cell electric vehicles) add a whole new layer to the debate regarding EVs and their impact on their environment, with the technology’s biggest advocates suggesting that it could be the way forward for the auto industry, potentially improving vehicle range and charge times.
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These cars could also cover the gap where supply chain issues may hinder the proliferation of lithium-ion battery EVs. All of this means less energy used to recharge, and more options for sustainable sourcing of materials. It’s a debate because it’s still going on. Given the relative newness of the electric car segment, studies on the environmental impact of EVs at a mass-production scale draw from limited data, and hydrogen is largely unmapped territory. Here’s what we know so far.
Are EVs Better For The Environment?
There’s one argument you’ll always hear regarding EVs. If the energy source isn’t green, are you really helping the environment? Well, the short answer is yes, you are.
According to a study published by Science Direct, switching to an electric vehicle produces a lower volume of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by an average margin of 3.6% to 32%. The study also discovered that automated, or wireless, charging is around 50% more efficient than simply docking up once you get home. If protecting the environment is a big selling point for you to go electric, you have the numbers to back that up.
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However, another study published on Science Direct determined that EVs that rely on Chinese energy produced by coal or electrolytic water can actually do more harm to the environment than good, even as EVs can produce as much as 80% lower GHGs in some other countries.
Conclusion: if the goal is zero emissivity, then we’re looking for a good life cycle assessment or LCA. That is, an EV needs to be environmentally friendly to produce, recharge, and operate on a day-to-day basis. From the day it rolls off the lot to the day it’s dismantled, scrapped, or recycled, it needs to show low GHGs. Thankfully, the United States is ahead of the curve thanks to renewable energy sources making up more than 20% of the grid, according to the EPA.
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That would take about four years of daily driving your EV.
With all of this in mind, the usefulness of hydrogen-powered EV batteries ultimately comes down to good LCA. So the question is whether the materials and components for hydrogen-powered EVs can be sourced, produced, and utilized without a detrimental effect on the environment.
Could FCEVs Be More Environmentally Friendly Than BEVs?
FCEVs offer many advantages. There’s no need to recharge, they offer greater range, and the only emissions they produce are warm air and moisture, like a clothing iron.
One of the major advantages that FCEVs hold over BEVs is that they require fewer raw materials compared to a BEV battery pack, packed with cobalt and lithium. As a result, FCEVs are also safer, easier, and cheaper to recycle. FCEVs do require batteries to operate, but these battery packs are considerably smaller. In a lithium-ion-powered BEV, the battery is the main source of power. In an FCEV, most of the electricity is produced by a hydrogen fuel cell, with the hydrogen being stored in its own tank in gas form.
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So, if FCEVs don’t need to recharge, are safer for the environment, less resource-intensive, and even easier to recycle, then they definitely pass the LCA test. So, why is the industry going all-in with lithium-ion battery packs and not hydrogen?
At present, it essentially comes down to infrastructure and momentum. Almost every home in every developed nation is hooked to the power grid. On the other hand, getting a fresh tank of hydrogen for a long road trip is easier said than done. Likewise, if you want to build a lithium-ion-powered electric car, you can partner with BMW, Tesla, Chevrolet, Rivian, or any number of automakers and suppliers who have already made remarkable strides in building the technology to power the EV revolution. If you want to own an FCEV in the US, your options are pretty much limited to Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai at present.
Could Hydrogen Be The Inevitable Future Of The Electric Car?
According to recent sales data, only 424 hydrogen-powered cars were sold in a six-month period between late 2023 and early 2024, down from 2,044 in the previous six months. That seems to suggest a very narrow customer base that has essentially bottomed out. In other words, how many people out there even know that hydrogen-powered cars are an option?
Hydrogen could very well be the future of the electric car, but we saw how long it took for EVs to catch on at a cultural level before finally making up 7.6% of all auto sales in 2023 in the US. FCEVs face the exact same challenges.
Shell Starting To Close Some Of Its Hydrogen Stations
Owners of hydrogen-powered cars like the Hyundai Nexo, Toyota Mirai, and Honda Clarity will be affected by the closure.
There are countless examples throughout the automotive industry’s history to illustrate the point that offering superior technology is not enough. You need legislation to establish the hydrogen infrastructure, the public to actually be excited about the prospect of driving an FCEV, and automakers to trust that there is a market for hydrogen-powered cars.
Extensive comparative studies have yet to be conducted, but all available evidence points to FCEVs proving superior to BEVs in more ways than not. Even so, sparking a revolution in any industry requires more than a good idea.
