Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine

Some agree that batteries are the clear winner in the race against hydrogen technologies, while others think the opposite. There's no such debate among internal combustion engine proponents. Almost all of them believe that replacing fossil-fuel-based fuels with H2 is feasible. However, there are some significant caveats to H2ICEs.

The Latin phrase "Inter duos combatentes, tertius vincit" translates to "between two combatants, the third wins." I always feared the fierce debate between battery-electric propulsion enthusiasts and hydrogen-powered systems supporters would benefit the internal combustion engine devotees.

And I was not wrong, as recently, e-fuels seduced many to believe that phasing out of an almost obsolete technology is not necessary anymore. Moreover, these people believe that internal combustion engines deserve not only a top spot in history but also a bright future, along with new high-tech-green technologies.

That's because many in the transport industry and policymakers believe more and more in the potential of combining hydrogen and ICEs.

The fuel-cell sand castle
Currently, Toyota is the most stubborn carmaker willing to keep on investing big money in hydrogen technology for passenger cars. Besides small evolutions in fuel-cell technology – which are marketed as giant leaps, but analysts agree it's not the case – the Japanese also make efforts to use hydrogen for internal combustion engines.

BMW and Hyundai are still in the game, but the new iX5 Hydrogen demonstration vehicles failed to impress, while Hyundai Nexo's future is uncertain. Honda took everyone by surprise when the main rival of Toyota in the fuel cell realm announced it put the hydrogen program on hold to prioritize hybrids and EVs.

As for Volkswagen, their conclusion is sharp: "In the case of the passenger car, everything speaks in favor of the battery, and practically nothing speaks in favor of hydrogen." Mercedes-Benz also joined the "ditch the fuel-cell" bandwagon after 30 years of pursuing the H2 dream.  READ MORE...

EVs No Longer A Viable Alternative

One of the key reasons why people made the switch to an electric vehicle was the more favorable cost of ownership. Not only did a battery charge cost a lot less than filling up the tank of a similar car, but the maintenance was also cheaper. But then the world went crazy and now people started questioning the economics of owning an electric vehicle.

When the gas prices started to rise a couple of months ago, a lot of ICE car owners considered switching to an electric vehicle. In fact, both statistics and carmakers indicated an increase in EV orders specifically because of the high gas prices. But things have changed, not least because the increased demand has put pressure on the market. Soon, not only did EV prices increase significantly, but the operating costs also went up.

Tesla, the company that sells the most EVs in the U.S., has aggressively raised prices in the past months. The main reason was raw materials scarcity and price spikes, but the high demand also played a role. This allowed Tesla to post the biggest profit in history in the first quarter of the year and will most likely repeat the claim for the second quarter too. This proved skeptics saying it’s impossible to make a profit from EVs were all wrong. Tesla is one of the most profitable car companies in the world.

Apart from becoming more expensive, the EVs have also lost their cheap operating costs appeal. Electricity prices have spiked and Supercharging costs often shocked Tesla owners. Tesla historically said it does not make a profit from selling electricity to its customers, but Tesla owners faced increased prices nevertheless.  READ MORE...