Hydrogen Fuel vs Pure Electric Vehicles, Who is the Future?
The question of which is the future, hydrogen fuel or pure electric vehicles, has once again become a heated debate at this year’s annual import expo. On one hand, major carmakers are making all-out efforts in the field of pure electric vehicles, while on the other hand, Akio Toyoda, the head of Toyota, believes that hydrogen fuel is the perfect solution.
In September, Toyoda was accused of “bashing pure electric vehicles” by the media. The reason behind this interpretation is that Toyota, and even Japan, “bet on hybrids and hydrogen energy and failed”, and thus, were unable to counter the rising tide of electrification and could only use rhetorical attacks.
There are even articles directly accusing Toyoda of making the wrong decision to resist trends, citing “Toyota will become the Nokia of the electric age” as the title. Meanwhile, Nissan and Honda have expressed their determination to fully embrace “new energy” and only leave Toyota to fight alone.
The judgment that the Japanese electrification has already lost has brought the hydrogen energy strategy that Toyota has adhered to into question. Even Longi, a Chinese automaker, has taken a swipe at Toyota, wondering how it can hold up the hydrogen energy flag when it has not yet perfected its pure electric vehicles.
In fact, the reason why there is still an ongoing debate about the future of pure electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel is that, from the current level of technological maturity, the advantages and disadvantages of both are clear. Basically, these two routes belong to “you have your own direction, I have my own answer”.
In fact, looking back at the past two years of debates on these two technologies, the rhythm of public opinion has also been basically centered on “division”. Some insist on holding high the banner of pure electric vehicles and taking this route to the end, while others want to seize the opportunity of hydrogen energy to replicate another photovoltaic miracle.
The best choice for the power source of new energy vehicles is currently the use of power batteries. The landing of hydrogen energy vehicles in recent years, more in buses and heavy trucks, is also differentiating the direction of these two routes of technology, which must be contended as being either high or low.
In fact, at the site of this year’s import expo, pure electric vehicles and hydrogen energy stood side by side, without the expected “sparks flying”. For example, Toyota brought hydrogen energy and also showcased pure electric vehicles. The Hyundai Motor Group is doing the same, insisting on “electric + hydrogen energy” to achieve carbon neutrality.
After touring the import expo, this friendly atmosphere deserves a poem by Xu Zhimo’s “Accidentally”, “You and I met on the dark sea at night, you have yours, I have mine, direction…at this meeting we exchange light!”Translated English Markdown text with HTML tags:
As for how electrification can lead the future, it goes without saying that anyone who doesn’t keep up with the trend of electrification will inevitably be labeled as “backward and without a future.” A variety of electric car brands are emerging, and even the goal of selling millions of vehicles a year falls short of expressing the “passion and ambition.”
At the CIIE site, Tesla, the home team, is sure to be at the forefront of the pure electric vehicle campaign.
At home court, you can’t lose your commanding presence, so Tesla has brought the Shanghai Super Factory directly to the CIIE site in an attempt to showcase Musk, the world’s richest man in the electric car field, declaring “if I’m not first, who dares to claim first”, leading the way with that energy.
The “skeletal muscles” of the white body, motor, battery, and other organs, which were originally hidden inside the body, all appeared on the scene, and with the aid of core technology, a 100% digital video of each workshop was achieved, fully demonstrating Tesla’s innovation in smart manufacturing.
Some say that Musk is not afraid of the backlash of traditional giants transforming, be it Germany’s Volkswagen or Japan’s Toyota. Because in the smart electric field, Tesla sets the rules, otherwise, how come the one with the highest market value is not someone else but Tesla?
It is precisely because of the high market value that Musk has recently been pushed to the forefront of the storm, and is now being chased for “billionaire taxes”. Unfortunately, American netizens did not get it, and he wrote the essence of “the Seven-Step Poem” in a hurry.
Musk’s dissatisfaction was not only written on his face but also on Twitter. He launched a vote to solicit opinions on “whether to sell 10% of his Tesla shares”, with 58% of netizens supporting his decision to sell the 10% of shares, totaling nearly $21 billion.
However, this has once again angered the US Congress, with Democrat Ron Wyden saying: “Whether the richest man in the world should pay taxes or not should not be decided by a Twitter vote. It’s time to collect a super-rich income tax.”
There is a kind of situation where one cannot get down from the top. As for this tax, whether it is paid or not, it is a headache for Musk. Detroit’s big shots, on the other hand, are not anxious about Musk’s troubles. General Motors and its Detroit-based giants are busy with the big task of transformation.
The flag of General Motors headquarters, whether it can continue to fly in the wind, has been decided in China’s battlefields.
At the CIIE, General Motors, another home team, was not sparing in showing off its strength. With the Ultium OTM platform and the Hummer electric super pickup truck, which has been out of production for 11 years, based on this platform, it made its official debut in pure electric mode.# The Resurrection of Hummer Brand with Pure Electric Drive
General Motors (GM)’s high-output electric powertrain has made a strong statement towards the future of electrification. It is clear that GM has made up its mind and is fully prepared to fight in the field of electrification, with a plan to invest 50 billion dollars and launch 10 domestically-produced vehicles based on the Ultium platform in the next five years.
Although Elon Musk has never thought that Detroit’s transformation would be a stumbling block for the future, Mary Barra couldn’t wait to showcase the first product, the Cadillac LYRIQ, based on the Ultium platform in the Chinese market.
Detroit’s ambition is not limited to GM, as other traditional giants are also embracing the idea of AII in. Electric models from Ford, Volvo, Volkswagen Group, and BMW have occupied center stage.
Ford brings the newly-launched Mustang Mach-E; Volkswagen ID. family brings ID.3 and ID.6 CROZZ; Audi exhibits RS e-tron GT and a luxury electric concept car; BMW flagship model BMW iX and the first pure electric four-door coupé, BMW i4, will soon land in the Chinese market.
While electric vehicles occupy a prominent position, it is not the only theme at the International Import Expo (CIIE). The hydrogen energy flag is also flying high.
As the frontier of national science and technology applications and the barometer of economic development, the automotive industry has naturally become a broad test ground for hydrogen energy and fuel cells.
Especially, with China’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, hydrogen energy has become one of the hottest topics in the automotive industry. In a report released by the International Energy Agency last year, it stated, “Hydrogen is facing unparalleled political and business development opportunities.”
“Should we pursue the next solar miracle by replicating the hydrogen energy trend?” “How should the upstream and downstream investment layout be made for trillion-dollar hydrogen energy trends?” “Hydrogen fuel vs. pure electric cars, who will take the lead in the future?”
All sorts of topics have emerged all at once.
Germany and the EU have also launched hydrogen energy strategies one after another. Some commentators say that the launch of Germany’s hydrogen energy strategy will have a huge impact on the global hydrogen energy market. Although this may make Toyota, which has been working on hydrogen energy for many years, a bit unhappy, the future direction is certain, and hydrogen energy is an ironclad certainty.From a global perspective, hydrogen energy as the ultimate clean energy source has been highly valued by countries around the world, actively promoting the development of the hydrogen energy industry. Currently, about 20 countries and regions worldwide have released hydrogen energy development plans or roadmaps.
As the future arena, hydrogen fuel has also broken through at the CIIE, with more and more companies trying to secure positions in the technology. Undoubtedly, Toyota, who has spent years working on this, is the essential advocate for hydrogen energy. This time, Toyota brought the new MIRAI model, with a maximum range of 850 kilometers.
It is reported that the new MIRAI will undertake transportation services for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The challenge of building a basic supporting infrastructure of 2000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the Winter Olympics signifies a rare opportunity for the development of the hydrogen energy industry.
Of course, Toyota, which has always been misunderstood as a detractor of electric vehicles, has also given itself a chance to “wash white.” It debuted the TOYOTA bZ4X CONCEPT, the first globally produced pure electric vehicle concept car of the TOYOTA bZ series. It is reported that Toyota’s bZ pure electric series plans to release five models in China by 2025.
At Toyota’s booth, the idea of “two-pronged approach” can be easily captured. In terms of hydrogen energy, there are solid reserves and cutting-edge technology to secure a position in the future. In the hot electric vehicle market, there is strategic planning and pure electric concept cars that will soon be launched.
Although often criticized for being “slow,” it does not mean that Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota, is “irreconcilable” with Tesla, the top player in the electric vehicle market.
Okay, let’s clarify something for Akio Toyoda. He is not against electric vehicles at all, nor is he bombing them. What he means is that he “cannot adopt such an extreme policy of relying solely on pure electric vehicles” and needs a “two-pronged approach.” In addition, electric vehicles are placed first in the automotive industry’s efforts that he has listed.
From the technology roadmap provided by Hyundai Motor Group, it is similar to Akio Toyoda’s ideas.
The featured products on display are mostly hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, including the globally best-selling hydrogen fuel cell SUV NEXO and hydrogen-powered intelligent unmanned transportation vehicles, etc. At the same time, in the field of electrification, the Hyundai Motor Group also launched a brand-new electric vehicle-specific platform E-GMP, which can realize flexible product development across vehicle models and levels.Hydrogen fuel cell technology is a forward-looking technological route that requires huge investment and research and development efforts for widespread commercial use. Only when it can be widely used on passenger vehicles can it truly achieve carbon reduction goals.
From the perspective of technology trends and cognition, hydrogen fuel cells and lithium batteries will continue to complement each other in the next three to five years: Commercial vehicles will be the base for hydrogen energy, while passenger vehicles will be the main stage for lithium batteries.
With electric vehicles taking the lead, is there still value in hydrogen energy vehicles? Major car companies at the Import Expo have given their answers. They have already realized that the future of hydrogen fuel cell technology also lies in passenger cars, but they need to wait for technological breakthroughs and scaled cost reduction.
But the road ahead is long and arduous.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.