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But the strategy failed because enough companies went ahead with battery electrics.
by woodandsteel 7y ago
But the strategy failed because enough companies went ahead with battery electrics.
- Gibbon1 7y agoI always think of gasoline, hydrogen fuel cells, and batteries as chemical energy storage. Gasoline had the advantage of also being a primary resource. And can be pumped. And stored in a thin walled metal tank. The disadvantage is it requires a jankie otto cycle engine to convert that energy to mechanical power. Which was both unreliable and polluting. Hydrogen shared with batteries the disadvantage of not being a primary resource. And requires a heavy storage tank and a jankie temperamental fuel cell, batteries and an electric motor. Transport and fueling is sketchy with a capital E. Batteries while having lower power density and high costs had the advantage of being really simple. Which I think explains their original success and eventual return. Consider a lithium ion battery needs bulky cathodes and anodes. While hydrogen needs a heavy high pressure tank. Not clear which of those is a winner. Yet the batteries functional simplicity is a win hands down.