Electricity is the future, but not necessarily via batteries.

Interest in electric cars is great. Opel's new Ampera makes range problems a thing of the past. A completely normal Opel takes you to the cabin without recharging on the way. You can plug the car into the socket on the cabin wall and let it charge while the fireplace crackles and the red wine is poured into the glasses.
 
Even if range isn't an issue, charging can still be a pain and a nuisance for many. Housing associations and housing associations prohibit the charging of electric cars. Fire protection experts advise against charging from normal wall sockets. If it is not possible to charge at the end stations – at home or at work, charging can become a problem in everyday life. It rarely takes more than 30 minutes to quickly charge to 80% so that you can get further, but this assumes that there is an available charging point nearby. And not least, - that you actually has 30 minutes at your disposal in your hectic everyday life.

Charging customers are bad business for petrol stations.

In a world of only electric cars, I don't see a good future for gas stations. Firstly, many will charge at the end stations and will no longer need to visit other charging stations/petrol stations. Secondly, electric cars on rapid charging for 30 minutes will create less turnover of customers per hour than what petrol cars create. A petrol car customer spends maybe 5 minutes filling up his car, - plus 5-10 minutes if he or she has errands to do indoors. With fewer customers per hour, the income base disappears.

The petrol stations will become greenhouses and not shops.

The hydrogen cars are actually electric cars. Instead of being powered by batteries, they are powered by fuel cells fed with air and hydrogen. You can fill up a full tank as quickly as in a petrol car. Today it only exists en station. It is located in Sandvika, west of Oslo. Uno X aims to offer 20 filling stations by 2020 so that you can drive between the biggest cities. With a possible gradual transition from petrol/diesel to hydrogen, the development can take place through the ordinary petrol station network.

Who wins? The batteries or the fuel cells?

If we look 3-5 years ahead, all electric car manufacturers will offer battery packs with the same range as the Opel Ampera. Perhaps with batteries that are less bulky and even lighter than today. Regarding hydrogen cars, I have read that they can hardly be made more efficient than today, although such statements have been heard before about new technology.

 
Compared to the hybrid Volkswagen Passat GTE station wagon, the Toyota Mirai is 13 cm longer and weighs about 150 kg more. The hybrid tanks cannot be designed as flat as the battery packs. I don't know if it is the which is the reason why the car is only offered as a four-seater, or whether Toyota wanted to create a distinctive interior design. The two seats in the back are at least as comfortable as the front seats.

The Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell does not seem to have lost any space after the hydrogen conversion. It is possible that it has spilled a little over the trunk, but it is difficult to say. The problem with storing hydrogen is that it must be stored in pressure tanks shaped like gas cylinders. The Toyota Mirai has two tanks. I suppose that by dividing the content into several smaller tanks, you make better use of the space.

Who will drive a hydrogen car?

First and foremost those that must be available at short notice, such as the emergency services and other vital community services. I think maybe taxi owners will prefer hydrogen over battery-powered electric cars. Furthermore, I think hydrogen is preferred by car owners who do not have charging options at the end stations, or who cannot, or do not want to, plan driving and charging times. I sense a slight class divide here. Hydrogen cars will be more expensive than battery-powered cars, but in return far more flexible.
 
The company cars of the future need hydrogen. This assumes that there are hydrogen stations where you travel. I think it will.

It is the profit or loss of petrol stations.

Although hydrogen cars are exempt from one-time tax, the prices are quite high. The Toyota Mirai costs NOK 610, while the Hyundai ix000 costs just under NOK 35. Hydrogen is sold in kg. At the time of writing, 500 kg of hydrogen costs NOK 000 and is enough to drive approx. 1 miles. Hydrogen can be produced in several ways, and it is expected that the price of hydrogen will decrease as the production volume increases. The production of hydrogen uses electricity. From an environmental perspective, it is important that the production of hydrogen is less energy-intensive than the delivery of electricity directly into batteries.
 
Hydrogen is explosive and must be stored safely. Should a leak occur in the system, the gas will evaporate and disappear quickly into the air.