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.
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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.
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.
Eventually, and we don't know what might happen with fuel cell technology before that. It is likely to always be faster to refill.
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.
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.