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They've got some weird obsession with hydrogen.. even recently I've seen a lot of online advertising for their hydrogen vehicle the Mirai which is wildly imprac

• bbarnett 5y ago
  It's extremely practical, they just need a refueling network.
  • kllrnohj 5y ago
    The Mirai is 196 inches long (same as a Model S or BMW 5 series) yet has less than 10 cu ft of trunk space. The volume required to fit all the hydrogen fuel cell components is massive. It's not especially practical as a result. Even if there was a refueling network, it's not like you're going to take it camping or road trip with such a small trunk, and for an around town grocery runner it's on the large side. It's not like there's a good source of hydrogen that doesn't come from electricity generation anyway. It's "just" a different take on the battery, one that appears to be mostly worse other than charge times.
    • chipsa 5y ago
      Most hydrogen isn't from electrolysis of water. It's mostly made commercially from natural gas.
      • kllrnohj 5y ago
        Right, yes, sorry I meant no potential green sources of hydrogen that don't come from electrolysis.
  • trixie_ 5y ago
    “They just need a refueling network” - case in point, wildly impractical to buy one today.
• jrsj 5y ago
  It’s partly bc it would be much easier for Japan to become fully independent w/ hydrogen whereas with batteries they would be reliant on other countries to produce them. So the Japanese government prefers hydrogen.
  • nickik 5y ago
    I disagree. Hydrogen makes is it not easier to be fully independent. I would argue the opposite is more true.