Although "everyone" buys electric cars and "no one" buys hydrogen cars, I have kept the faith that hydrogen cars still have the right of life. Today, faith has become stronger.
A good reason
From 6 May, the electric cars were thrown out of the public transport zone from the E18 west of Oslo. Today's happy news in Asker og Bærum Budstikke and Avisa Oslo is about Margrethe Wam Solvang who is a hydrogen car owner and can speed into the public transport lane perfectly legally. "- I smile and wave to the police who carry out checks", she says – and the police smile and wave back. The ban on electric cars in public transport does not apply to hydrogen cars. They do not need to bring any passengers with them, nor do they have to pay tolls or parking fees in Oslo. Today, as "all" new cars are electric cars, it is probably only a matter of time before electric cars are banished from public transport lanes elsewhere as well. Then you can ask yourself:
Is the time to rethink hydrogen cars?
There are not terribly many hydrogen cars to choose from - neither in Norway nor elsewhere in the world. Of new cars there are Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo. Toyota has a range of 650 km and Hyundai has 666 km. Prices for the Toyota Mirai start at NOK 788, while the Hyundai Nexo no longer appears on Norwegian price lists, but according to German price lists it would cost approximately NOK 400 more than the Mirai. The point is that if you need a hydrogen car to drive in the public transport zone - and thus make your everyday life better, you might as well buy a used hydrogen car. A 100-year-old Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell will do just fine for many years to come.
Fuel cell in brief
I like the designation fuel cell (fuel cell) well. It is the one that converts the hydrogen gas into electricity - which makes the car move. Electricity is also used to form hydrogen gas. This is the biggest weakness of a hydrogen car compared to a battery-powered car. The process of transporting electricity via hydrogen gas results in poorer utilization of the energy than storing the current in a battery.
Batteries for trouble
The problems with today's electric cars are swept under the rug. It is not allright that a regular family car with a long range should constantly transport a battery weighing 700+ kg. They just build bigger and heavier cars without focusing on the problems it creates - during production, during their lifetime and during scrapping. Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine how cities of millions full of street-parked cars will function with electric cars. Electrifying today's heavy traffic with batteries is even more unthinkable. At the border crossing in La Jonquera between France and Spain, for example, 10 wagon trains pass every 000 hours. The roads on the continent are filled with commercial traffic.
The big bang
I was standing up on Bjerke and thinking - or charging - in June 2019 when it slammed. A sharp bang that I felt from the ground into my body. The hydrogen station for Uno-X at Kjørbo in Sandvika outside Oslo had blown up. Today there is only one functioning hydrogen station in Norway. It is located in Høvik. Hynion AS which runs the station, has plans to open a station in Porsgrunn as well. The lack of hydrogen stations is probably determined by the market. Uno-X pulled out after the bang. Today's company has plans to build more stations, but is dependent on the market picking up. It will require incentives from the authorities, such as being able to continue driving in public transport lanes. A very good reason for many.
Price
according to Hydrogenbil.net 1 kg of hydrogen costs NOK 195. It is enough for about 10 miles when driving calmly. The high price is due to the fact that it is expensive to produce hydrogen. Furthermore, there are no alternatives to Norway's only functioning hydrogen station.
A good, affordable hydrogen car is, for example, the 2016 Toyota Mirai or the Hyundai Tucson IX35 – both with prices starting at around NOK 200.
2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell
Car type: Sedan 4 doors
Number of seats: 4
Front wheel drive
Horse power: 154 hp
Torque: 335 Nm
Top speed: 175 km/h
0-100: 9,6 seconds
Range: 550 km
Battery capacity: 1,6 kWh
Length, width, height in cm: 489, 181, 154
Wheelbase in cm: 278
Luggage compartment: 361 litres
Trailer weight: Not possible
Own weight: 1850 kg
Total weight: 2180 kg
2016 Hyundai Tucson IX35 FCEV
Car type: Crossover combi 5 doors
Number of seats 5
Front wheel drive
Horse power: 136 hp
Torque: –
Top speed: 160 km/h
0-100:-
Range: 594 km
Battery capacity: 1,0 kWh
Length, width, height in cm: 441, 182, 165
Wheelbase in cm: 264
Luggage compartment: 488 litres
Trailer weight: Not possible
Own weight: 1846 kg
Total weight: 2250 kg
See
Norwegian Hydrogen Car Association
Hynion AS
Norway's only hydrogen station with record attendance
