Will electric vehicles be phased out? Alternatives have been put on the market in many places, how can it be "on top"?
With the continuous improvement of environmental awareness, traditional fuel vehicles are facing the fate of being replaced by new energy vehicles. In the past few decades, electric vehicles have been seen as the future of automotive development due to their zero-emission and energy-saving advantages. With the popularity of electric vehicles, their inherent flaws have become increasingly apparent, leading to questions about whether they can really be an ideal alternative to gasoline vehicles.
Defects of electric vehicles
Long charging time
Charging an electric car is a long process compared to refueling. Even with the fastest DC charger, it takes 20-30 minutes to charge the battery to 80%. For ordinary AC charging piles, it often takes hours to fully charge the battery. This has brought great inconvenience to long-distance travel and has become a major obstacle to the promotion of electric vehicles.
Short mileage
At present, the mainstream electric vehicle mileage is about 300-500 kilometers, although it can meet the daily travel needs of most people, but it is still not enough for some special scenarios such as long-distance freight. Moreover, the range of the battery will fluctuate with factors such as temperature and road conditions, bringing uncertainty to users.
Limited battery life
The battery pack of an electric vehicle is a consumable that typically has a lifespan of 5-8 years. After this period, the capacity of the battery will gradually decay, affecting the range of the vehicle. Replacing a new battery pack is not only costly, but it can also generate a lot of battery waste and create new environmental problems.
It is precisely because of the above shortcomings that although electric vehicles have obvious advantages in environmental protection and energy saving, there are still many uncertainties in their development prospects. In this context, a new type of new energy vehicle has begun to attract people's attention - hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Advantages of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
Zero emissions
Similar to electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles do not produce any harmful exhaust gases during operation, and only emit a small amount of water vapor. It also has the environmental advantage of zero emissions.
Raise quickly
Filling a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with hydrogen can be completed in just 3-5 minutes, which is comparable to the time it takes to refuel a conventional car. This will undoubtedly greatly improve the user experience, especially for long-distance transport vehicles.
Long mileage
At present, the mainstream hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have a range of 600-800 kilometers, and the models can even exceed 1000 kilometers. This has fully met the travel needs of most users, including special scenarios such as long-distance freight.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles not only have the environmental advantage of zero emissions, but also outperform electric vehicles in terms of refueling time and mileage, so they are considered to be the most promising new energy vehicles to replace electric vehicles.
The development status of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
Launched by major automakers
In recent years, major car companies such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda have begun to launch hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in many cities for demonstration operations. Toyota's Mirai and Hyundai's Nexo are currently the most mature production models.
Construction of hydrogen refueling stations
In order to provide refueling services for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, local governments and enterprises are also actively building hydrogen refueling stations. By the end of 2023, nearly 700 hydrogen refueling stations have been put into operation around the world, with Japan, Germany, the United States and China being the countries and regions with the largest number of hydrogen refueling stations.
Although the current ownership of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is still very low, with the addition of more and more car companies and the continuous construction of hydrogen refueling stations, its development is gradually entering the fast lane. In the next few years, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expected to achieve large-scale commercial operation.
Prospects for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
Narumoto Descent
Currently, the main obstacle to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is the high cost. A mid-size hydrogen fuel cell car often costs more than $60,000, which is 2-3 times that of an electric vehicle in the same class. But with technological advancements and economies of scale, its cost is expected to drop significantly in the coming years.
Large-scale commercial operation
With the reduction of costs and the continuous improvement of the hydrogen refueling station network, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expected to achieve large-scale commercial operation in the next 10 years. At that time, it may be able to truly replace electric vehicles and become the mainstream choice of new energy vehicles.
Although electric vehicles have unique advantages in terms of environmental protection and energy efficiency, their inherent shortcomings make their development prospects uncertain. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are considered to be the most promising new energy vehicles to replace electric vehicles due to their advantages of zero emission, fast refueling, and long cruising range. At present, major car companies have launched hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and built hydrogen refueling stations in many places to prepare for large-scale commercial operation in the future. As long as the cost can be further reduced, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expected to "rise" in the next 10 years and become the new upstart of new energy vehicles.