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by seanmcdirmid 1097 days ago
It’s really not just a tank, it has to be capable of very high pressure storage, at -240C, which is kind of cold. If it were just a tank, Hydrogen fuel cell cars wouldn’t be $50k+. Not only that, but you are now paying a per gallon cost for hydrogen that is similar, if not more, than what gasoline costs, given the infra needed to just hold the hydrogen and then send it into someone p’s tank, as well as deliver it.

Millions of people live in condos and apartments without access to even parking, they park on the street I guess in countries that allow that (many countries require that you show proof of parking spot before they’ll sell you a vehicle). Norway is already at 50%, it’s not going to be even a contest in most countries that don’t have America’s flaky parking arrangements.
2 comments
_hypx 1097 days ago
It literally is a just a tank. Just a strong one. Why do you have such a hard time understanding this basic fact? And what did BEVs cost when they first came out?

These are just excuses that exist to defend BEVs. They are not serious arguments. It is ironically just a repeat of anti-BEVs arguments, just by BEV fans against the next big idea this time. I guess just like Reddit turning into the next Digg, history sometimes repeats like this.

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seanmcdirmid 1097 days ago
A strong and cold tank, literally 90% of the reason the car costs more than $50k compared to the cheap fuel cell and basic EV drive train that they also put into the vehicle.

Hydrogen fuel cells are economically non-starters for all but a few niche applications. Toyota is just so sunk cost on it and behind on BEVs that they are desperate to make hydrogen happen even when it clear isn’t.

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fwungy 1097 days ago
It only needs high pressure for high range. You could build cheaper FCVs that would cover commuter needs like basic BEVs do without high pressure tanks.
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seanmcdirmid 1096 days ago
It would require a bit of space to do that. FCEVs already don’t have much storage space, I’m not sure what less compression (and less range) would lead to. Maybe a baluga car design like they did for hydrogen powered planes?
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_hypx 1096 days ago
Hydrogen tanks are physically smaller than li-ion batteries. There will come a time when we will use small tanks that fit underneath the passenger compartment. At which point an FCEV has no packaging disadvantage compared to BEVs.
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