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Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Saturday April 21, 2018 @10:26PM (#16894402)
Only if you can charge at home, have a nice predictable commute, and don't drive too much. That's a sizeable market by itself, but far from what works for everybody.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by mikeash on Saturday April 21, 2018 @11:48PM (#16894605)
Charging at home, yes, but driving over 200 miles in a single day is super unusual. I see no need for a predictable commute or not driving "too much" unless it's extreme.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:20AM (#16894828)
Somebody living in Stockton and coming to clean SV's offices, or serve that nice catered food might be driving about that far. In saner areas of the US regular work commute is probably less, but there's a significant proportion of people who do not sit in the office writing code, but rather drive around doing things -- handymen, plumbers, cleaners, etc. etc.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by mikeash on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:59AM (#16896186)
I’m pretty sure most of those still fit into an EV’s range. There are some who won’t, but it’s a fairly small number.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Sunday April 22, 2018 @01:43PM (#16897330)
Stockton to Sunnyvale is 80-100 mils one way. And I imagine working people who have to live in Stockton or Tracy because they can't afford living near work in SV probably aren't buying extended range Teslas. Most likely don't have any chargers at home either.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by mikeash on Sunday April 22, 2018 @02:04PM (#16897487)
Someone like that probably can’t afford any EV with a range to even make that trip one way. Affordability isn’t really there yet. That’s something that’s also true with hydrogen cars and so has little bearing on the relative advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen and batteries.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:16PM (#16898940)
True. Which is why ICE isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But if prices could be brought down (i.e. by mass production), fuel-cell/hydrogen vehicles would work, but electrics still would not.

Although at this time I do wonder what could possibly move one to purchase a Mirai.

Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by mikeash on Sunday April 22, 2018 @06:44PM (#16899081)
Cost and range are closely related when it comes to batteries. A 500 mile range would cover almost everything, and should be practical before too long, and affordable eventually. Tesla’s new Roadster will have a 600 mile range, although the price is absurd.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Sunday April 22, 2018 @09:58PM (#16899957)
Eventually, and we don't know what might happen with fuel cell technology before that. It is likely to always be faster to refill.
Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by mikeash on Monday April 23, 2018 @08:06AM (#16902635)
BEVs are vastly faster to refill in many cases if you measure what really matters (driver waiting time).

If you look at the current state of things, hydrogen cars are even more expensive and are impossible to own in most of the country. That might change in the future but it’s hard to match the infrastructure advantage of having millions of “fueling stations” in the form of electrical outlets, and BEVs continue to improve as well.

Re:The case for hydrogen-powered cars by Fins on Monday April 23, 2018 @11:02AM (#16903984)
Oh, no argument that hydrogen cars are ridiculously priced and practically useless (I guess that's why they only sell them in California).

As battery capacity improves, charging from a regular outlet will only take longer and longer. And driver waiting time is short only if you can charge at home and never care about going anywhere beyond the charging range. It does work for a large number of people, but is a non-starter for a large segment as well.