3 ms·
Too many efficiency losses. Let's compare a BeV and a hydrogen vehicle. starting with a fully renewable source of electricity. For the BeV, we lose 5-6% over tr
by causi 3y ago
Too many efficiency losses. Let's compare a BeV and a hydrogen vehicle. starting with a fully renewable source of electricity. For the BeV, we lose 5-6% over transmission lines, 5% of that converting AC to DC, another 5% on losses charging the battery, then another 10% at the electric motor. That's ~75% efficiency from your starting electricity to your wheels.
With hydrogen, you lose 30% to electrolysis, another ~25% to transportation, 50% converting the hydrogen back to electricity, then 10% at the electric motor. That's a power to road efficiency of 20-25%.
So this big advance is improving the electrolysis efficiency from 70% to 90%. That's a big advance, but it still only improves your overall efficiency from 20% to 30%, well below the BeV level.
- jncfhnb 3y agoThat’s hardly a “scam” though. The use cases are simply different. Batteries are good. Transportable fuel is also good.
- ben_w 3y agoEfficiency is important when energy is expensive; I can easily believe that other issues dominate. Not that any of those other issues mean "and in conclusion: hydrogen, hydrogen, hydrogen!", it's just that people care about sticker price and safety as well. (On the "wanting safety" front: the memetic destruction of the Hindenburg and the way people conflate chemical and atomic hydrogen bombs is a point against hydrogen fuel).