The three key differences in the operation of a hydrogen car and a gasoline one

Hydrogen vehicles claim their place on the roads. Let’s see what its advantages are compared to the polluting car of a lifetime.

They say the future is electric car, if the oil lobby and associated industry allows it. But many believe that the real alternative should be the hydrogen car. How is it different from gasoline car?

Hydrogen is one of the most abundant materials in Nature. We find it in water and air, it is inexhaustible. So it’s relatively cheap to getalthough it costs a lot of money to transport and store it.

Another advantage of the hydrogen car is that in addition to not polluting, expels water vaporso it purifies the environment.

Differences between hydrogen car and gasoline car

Our colleague Mario Herráez from Auto Bild has investigated the most relevant differences between both types of vehicle.

The first and most important is obviously the combustion. Like gasoline cars and, unlike electric ones, hydrogen cars they also perform a “combustion”, although it is very different from that of gasoline.

these vehicles generate electricity by collecting oxygen from the air, and mixing it with hydrogen from the tank. This electricity is what drives the motor. Water vapor is released through the exhaust pipe, so they do not pollute and also clean the air.

Another difference is in the hydrogen depot. It cannot be stored at room temperature, like gasoline: it requires a very high pressure Y very low temperatures.

Also hydrogen is very bulky, so very large deposits are needed to offer a range similar to that of a gasoline car. That is why hydrogen vehicles usually have the smaller trunks.

These deposits have a useful life of 15 years. After that time, they must be changed according to regulations, to prevent leaks.

The refueling It is very similar to gasoline cars, and it takes the same time. In this they surpass the electric ones. However, as we have seen, its storage is expensive, high pressure and very low temperatures are required. That’s why there are very few hydrogen plants in Spain. This is its great handicap, for now: there are very few places to refuel, and you can’t do it at home like with an electric car.

as we see there differences important techniques between hydrogen car and a gasoline carbut when it comes to using them, both in refueling and maintenance, they are quite similar.