Is hydrogen a loser? Let’s give it time to advance...

Hydrogen inferior to electricity? Let’s give this technology time to advance in cars too, writes a reader in response to our article. To contact us: info@vaielettrico.it

Hydrogen inferior? Why I prefer it over electricity

"Dear Mauro, I have been following the developments in European hydrogen investments for over two years. In principle, it is both sacred and strategic to strive to produce green hydrogen for two reasons: 1) To use it as an energy storage medium that can be converted back into electricity when needed. 2) To use it as a fuel due to its extremely high calorific value. Unlike you, I have always been opposed to battery-powered cars for two reasons: 1) Dependence on Chinese monopolies. 2) The false claim of zero emissions—someone somewhere must feed electricity into the grid, which is still largely produced from oil and gas. Progress in electric vehicles has been faster than progress in hydrogen. Yet taxpayers have still funded tens of thousands of low-power charging stations, which are now considered slow. And now they want to start installing high-power ones again. So please...

We need time for hydrogen to develop, for supply and demand to form as the price approaches 3 €/kg. Then we’ll assess whether electric cars will still have reason to carry around 200 kg or more of batteries, whose materials are extracted from poor slaves about whom we never speak. Eng. Marco Fortini

Cars aren’t being sold — why finance dealerships?

Mauro Tedeschini responds. Of course, we need to give hydrogen time to develop. But what we’ve raised is an issue that affects today. With 103.5 million euros in public funds (PNRR) allocated to finance a refueling network whose intended users are unclear, since no hydrogen cars are being sold. Adoption will remain minimal as long as refueling costs far exceed those of charging or filling up with gasoline. Moreover, investing in building a hydrogen station is very costly. Gianfranco Pizzuto estimates 12.6 million euros for Bolzano. A high-power charging station, according to estimates by Free to X at the time, costs no more than 560,000 euros. Tesla Superchargers cost even less. Some cities, such as Bolzano and Bologna, have fleets of hydrogen buses: will these be enough to sustain a refueling station? That’s what we need to find out.

We would like to see it without prejudice.

The fake news about Italy hating electric vehicles: Nicola Armaroli speaks

Previous Article

The money for hydrogen (so much) — what happened to it?

Next Article

Moldova accelerates in electric vehicles: what if it overtakes Italy?