How viable are hydrogen vehicles as an alternative to gasoline-powered cars?
In many ways, they are more viable than gasoline. A fuel cell electric vehicle is better suited to modern vehicles that increasingly use electrical systems in place of mechanical and hydraulic to steer, brake, and control the various functions of the vehicle. Also, in a fuel cell vehicle, the entire powertrain can be consolidated into a flat “skateboard” chassis, providing automakers much design freedom in latching all sorts of different vehicle bodies on to the chassis — without having to work around a protruding, heat-producing engine and large mechanical driveline. A fuel cell is also 2-3 times more energy efficient than a gasoline engine. Other vehicles that use hydrogen in a regular combustion engine are also very viable. They use existing engine technology, modified to use gaseous hydrogen. Hydrogen ICE vehicles are about 30% more efficient than comparable gasoline vehicles and produce ultra-low emissions, with no CO2.
