Elon Musk has over the years made headlines for expressing strong opinions about Green H2. Just a few years ago, while giving his views about the possibility of green H2 being the energy of the future, Elon described how the whole idea was “extremely silly” in his view. He said it when the debate about green H2 came up as he was discussing with reporters at the renowned Automotive News World Congress.
In his remarks, the electric vehicle magnate explained how the whole idea is “just very difficult,” especially when it comes to production and storage. He further explained why having the debate on green H2 was not realistic, at least, given the many hurdles that make the whole process difficult and unrealistic in his view. Look, since he made the remarks, his views still seem to be revolving around the change and why the idea is not yet a viable option. Even with the growing interest in green H2 and multi-billion projects currently ongoing, Musk’s stance remains unchanged.
Being an entrepreneur and a business magnate, Musk’s views about the future of green H2 have, indeed, raised eyebrows. Many are asking what underpins the hydrogen technology that Musk remains skeptical about. Well, a closer analysis of what the tech revolves around, especially when it comes to its use in electric vehicles might say a thing or two about his views.
Fuel cell electric vehicles or otherwise hydrogen-powered vehicles have been described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as somehow similar to electric vehicles. The similarity comes from the fact that both fuel cell electric vehicles and electric vehicles are all driven by a motor instead of the usual engine powered through fossil fuel combustion. But that doesn’t mean that electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles are 100% similar. Electric vehicles have batteries that often need to be charged. Fuel cell vehicles, on the other hand, generate their electricity using hydrogen gas. But that’s not all! Hydrogen fuel cells also emit water and warm air, something that electric vehicles do not do.
So, what’s so unique or unusual with green H2 being used in cars that the likes of Elon Musk are skeptical about? Well, according to Musk and others, including Herbert Diess, the CEO of the renowned Volkswagen Group, green H2 is far too expensive and should not end up in cars. They also argue that it is inefficient, difficult to roll out and there are many other challenges that have not been convincingly overcome before, green H2 can end up in vehicles as a source of power.
In a nutshell, Musk and Diess are two prominent individuals whose views about green H2 cannot just be ignored. They are CEOs of major companies that can influence how things might go in the auto sector now and in the future. While some major auto companies such as Toyota and Hyundai have produced hydrogen fuel cell cars, there are no clear indicators now about the viability of the idea as well as plans for major rollouts. A lot has to happen first and the many challenges affecting green H2 cars have to be dealt with squarely. So as Musk, Diess, and others often say, we are not yet in the green H2 cars era.
Undoubtedly, the use of green H2 can be a practical solution to the problem caused by fossil fuels. However, there might be a need to first explore the possibilities of reducing the cost of production, challenges related to transport, and the issue of storage. Indeed, as Musk and other critics say, the road to success is not always a straight one.
