<p>Electric battery cars are a better choice for reducing carbon dioxide emissions than vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel cells in terms of overall costs, according to a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cars with hydrogen infrastructure provide few additional energy benefits besides clean transportation, according to researchers from Stanford University in the US and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany.<br /><br />They compared cars that run on batteries versus hydrogen fuel cells in a hypothetical future where the cost of electric vehicles is more affordable.<br /><br />"We looked at how large-scale adoption of electric vehicles would affect total energy use in a community, for buildings as well as transportation," said lead author Markus Felgenhauer, from TUM.<br /><br />"We found that investing in all-electric battery vehicles is a more economical choice for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, primarily due to their lower cost and significantly higher energy efficiency," said Felgenhauer.<br /><br />Electric vehicles come in two flavours: plug-in cars with rechargeable batteries, and fuel cell vehicles that convert hydrogen gas into clean electricity.<br /><br />Unlike gasoline-powered cars, battery and fuel cell vehicles emit zero carbon when driven. But deploying them at scale will require a costly new infrastructure for charging batteries or delivering hydrogen fuel.<br /><br />The researchers focused on California, a leader in electric vehicle transportation. Statewide, battery electric cars are growing in popularity.<br /><br />"In terms of overall costs, we found that battery electric vehicles are better than fuel cell vehicles for reducing emissions," Felgenhauer said.<br /><br />The analysis showed that to be cost competitive, fuel cell vehicles would have to be priced much lower than battery vehicles, the researchers said.<br /><br />However, fuel cell vehicles are likely to be significantly more expensive than battery vehicles for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />"Another supposed benefit of hydrogen – storing surplus solar energy – did not pan out in our analysis either. We found that in 2035, only a small amount of solar hydrogen storage would be used for heating and lighting buildings," Felgenhauer added.<br />The study appears in the journal Energy.</p>
<p>Electric battery cars are a better choice for reducing carbon dioxide emissions than vehicles that run on hydrogen fuel cells in terms of overall costs, according to a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cars with hydrogen infrastructure provide few additional energy benefits besides clean transportation, according to researchers from Stanford University in the US and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany.<br /><br />They compared cars that run on batteries versus hydrogen fuel cells in a hypothetical future where the cost of electric vehicles is more affordable.<br /><br />"We looked at how large-scale adoption of electric vehicles would affect total energy use in a community, for buildings as well as transportation," said lead author Markus Felgenhauer, from TUM.<br /><br />"We found that investing in all-electric battery vehicles is a more economical choice for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, primarily due to their lower cost and significantly higher energy efficiency," said Felgenhauer.<br /><br />Electric vehicles come in two flavours: plug-in cars with rechargeable batteries, and fuel cell vehicles that convert hydrogen gas into clean electricity.<br /><br />Unlike gasoline-powered cars, battery and fuel cell vehicles emit zero carbon when driven. But deploying them at scale will require a costly new infrastructure for charging batteries or delivering hydrogen fuel.<br /><br />The researchers focused on California, a leader in electric vehicle transportation. Statewide, battery electric cars are growing in popularity.<br /><br />"In terms of overall costs, we found that battery electric vehicles are better than fuel cell vehicles for reducing emissions," Felgenhauer said.<br /><br />The analysis showed that to be cost competitive, fuel cell vehicles would have to be priced much lower than battery vehicles, the researchers said.<br /><br />However, fuel cell vehicles are likely to be significantly more expensive than battery vehicles for the foreseeable future.<br /><br />"Another supposed benefit of hydrogen – storing surplus solar energy – did not pan out in our analysis either. We found that in 2035, only a small amount of solar hydrogen storage would be used for heating and lighting buildings," Felgenhauer added.<br />The study appears in the journal Energy.</p>