According to the study, conducted by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, direct use of electricity would make more economic and ecological sense in the coming years, especially in the passenger vehicle segment.
It also said that new hydrogen-based fuels could keep combustion technology alive longer, which in turn would ensure continued dependence on fossil fuels and thus further greenhouse gas emissions and endanger the climate targets.
The study claims that hydrogen-powered cars utilize around five times as much energy as battery-powered electric vehicles. It claims that the production of such cars can use up to fourteen times the amount of electricity needed for internal combustion engine vehicles.
Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess took to Twitter to share the report and wrote, “The H2 car is proven NOT the air conditioning solution. Electrification has established itself in traffic. Sham debates are a waste of time. Please listen to the science!”
His remarks found support from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Incidentally, in India, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has been batting for hydrogen as alternative to petrol, diesel in an effort to reduce dependency on fossil fuel for vehicles.
In fact, his ministry has recently notified regulations for various alternative fuels to promote sustainable mobility, which includes hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas.
Gadkari said the government has fixed the standards for hydrogen fuel cell in India.
In our opinion,”As international and national climate targets require immediate emission reductions, from a climate perspective direct electrification should come first to assure a safe future for all till the hydrogen technology catches up.”
Reference- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Twitter, HT Auto, Electrek