[jryb]

I've always wondered why this kind of thing wasn't available much earlier. We've had electrolysis for a long time now - are fuel cells the limiting technology here? Are electrolyzers not as simple as I expect?

[bparsons]

They are only 20-30% efficient and have a low energy density compared to hydrocarbon fuel.

You need a massive amount of excess grid energy for it to make any sense.

[adrianN]

Batteries were (are?) cheaper and you don't have to handle Hydrogen, which likes to explode.

[CabSauce]

I'm not an expert at all, but I was under the impression that hydrogen requires electricity for it to be synthesized. And that it's quite a bit more efficient just to use electricity in a battery directly instead of going through the process to create hydrogen, store it, and use it.

I do think it could be used in situations where the energy density benefits are important (planes, racing).

[bzxcvbn]

What do you believe is inside a standard battery? Pure electricity? That doesn't exist. It's a compound that goes through a chemical reaction when you charge it, and which goes through another one when you discharge.

[CabSauce]

"...lithium-ion batteries are 70-80% efficient, and hydrogen is only 25-30% efficient."

Source: <https://www.motorbiscuit.com/hydrogen-fuel-cells-vs-batterie...>

[bzxcvbn]

I don't see how that's relevant to what I said.

[CabSauce]

It's relevant to what I initially said. So I'm not sure how your comment relates. Maybe you just wanted to nitpick a word I used to sound smart?

[xor99]

Part of it is safety I imagine. Hydrogen can be nasty (e.g. blow up) if not handled correctly in the electrolyser design.