The second quarter of 2024 brought a significant decrease in hydrogen fuel cell car sales in the United States. By that, we mean in California, where the series-produced models are available.
According to the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership's data, only 99 new hydrogen fuel cell cars (FCV or FCEV) were sold in the U.S. in Q2. It's a 91% year-over-year decline and the lowest level since Q4 2015 when the hydrogen niche was in its infancy.
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Hydrogen fuel cell cars struggle to sell
Hydrogen fuel cell cars struggle to attract customers. There are only a few models available in California, and the refueling infrastructure is limited. On top of that comes not necessarily competitive vehicle and refueling costs.
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership's FCVs sales data comes from Baum and Associates and is based on sales to retail and fleet customers.
When it comes to FCV models, there are only two right now and they are both declining. The Toyota Mirai is the primary one with 73 sales in Q2, down 93% year-over-year. The Hyundai Nexo sales amounted to 26 units in Q2, down 35% year-over-year.
In the second half of the year, Honda will re-join the hydrogen niche with its 2025 Honda CR-V e FCEV model with plug-in capability. However, it will be available for lease only and on a limited scale of "north of 300 units" per year. It means that the introduction of the hydrogen-fueled CR-V will not change the overall FCV picture.
Hydrogen car sales in Q2 2024 (YOY change):
Hydrogen sales reported by the manufacturers in Q2'2024 (YOY change):
- Toyota Mirai: 73 (down 93%)
- Hyundai Nexo: 26 (down 35%)
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Sales In The U.S. - Q2 2024
In the first half of the year, FCV sales amounted to 322 units and were 82% lower than a year ago.
Hydrogen car sales in Q1-Q2'2024 (YOY change):
Hydrogen sales reported by the manufacturers in Q1-Q2'2024 (YOY change):
- Toyota Mirai: 245 (down 86%)
- Hyundai Nexo: 77 (down 27%)
For reference, in 2023, 2,978 new hydrogen cars were sold (the numbers were updated compared to the previous report), some 10% more than in 2022.
It's hard to be optimistic about the hydrogen fuel cell cars. The availability of vehicles and refueling infrastructure remains limited. On top of that, high prices of hydrogen make driving expensive. There are also slim to no advantages regarding the range or refueling time versus the fast charging of modern EVs. Hydrogen cars also are inefficient compared to battery-electric vehicles.
The FCV niche seems to be disappearing. It appears to us that the window of opportunity for FCVs closed when EVs were strengthened by long-range versions and promising fast charging solutions of up to 80% state-of-charge in less than 20 minutes.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently noted, by way of a separate hydrogen-related discussion on X, that "Hydrogen is silly for cars and only barely sensible for rockets, where the payload is ~1000 times more valuable."
The overall cumulative sales of FCVs in the U.S. exceeded 18,000 as of the end of the quarter. This number includes over 14,000 Toyota Mirai, which accounts for almost 79% of all FCVs sold.
Refueling infrastructure
As of July 3, 2024, the number of open retail hydrogen stations in California stood at 54 (one less than in April):
- Open - Retail: 54 (down 1)
- Open - Legacy Retail: 0
- Currently Unavailable: 7 (up 1)
- In Construction: 2
- In Permitting: 18
- Proposed: 4
- Total (Light Duty): 85 (down from 90 in April and 97 in January)
See the full list of hydrogen infrastructure here.
A quick calculation reveals there are 338 cars per station based on cumulative sales divided by the number of open retail stations. Although it's actually less due to the early cars that have been removed from service.
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See also
Honda's Hydrogen CR-V Lease Gets Up To $30,000 In Fuel Credits
Toyota Execs Say Hydrogen Fuel Cells Are Ideal For A Tundra-Sized Pickup
Toyota's Hydrogen Future Is Crumbling As Owners File Lawsuits, Call For Buybacks
Shell Is Immediately Closing All Of Its California Hydrogen Stations
FAQs
EVs have nearly 85-90 % of efficiency, and hydrogen cars only have 25-30 % of efficiency. Almost 45 percent of energy is lost to produce hydrogen during the electrolysis process in hydrogen cars which lowers their efficiency and energy conservation.
What are the two main problems with hydrogen fuel? ›
Hydrogen is a highly inflammable substance and explosive in nature; it cannot be easily transported from one place to another and it can be generated by the hydrolysis of water but it is a very expensive process.
How close are we to hydrogen cars? ›
To date, almost three million EVs have been sold in the U.S. By contrast, as of mid-2022, 17,000 or fewer hydrogen-powered vehicles can be found on U.S. roads. All of them will be in California, the sole state with a network of retail hydrogen fueling stations to make the cars usable. 2024 Hyundai Nexo.
What are two dangers of hydrogen cars? ›
Hydrogen vehicle hazards
Potential hazards are due to fire, explosion of toxicity. The latter can be ignored since neither Page 4 hydrogen nor its fumes in case of fire are toxic. Hydrogen as a source of fire or explosion may come from the fuel storage, from the fuel supply lines or from the fuel cell.
Why is hydrogen fuel not the future? ›
Hydrogen's primary obstacle is its production costs, which are higher than current oil and natural gas equivalents for final energy produced. Forecasts suggest that this cost may reduce as large-scale projects come online. Most hydrogen currently comes from oil refineries and other fossil-fuel-based industries.
Why hydrogen fuel is a bad idea? ›
Hydrogen is corrosive and highly combustible. It can ignite at almost any air-to-fuel ratio and is more explosive than methane gas. Moreover, adding hydrogen to natural gas would be expected to expand methane's explosive limits. For this reason, piping the mix into homes and businesses carries the risk of explosion.
Why is hydrogen not a good fuel? ›
Hydrodgen is highly explosive : Using it as domestic fuel is very dangerous, because even a small spark can cause ucontrolled combustion leading to huge explosions. It does not burn at a slow rate. Transport of hydrogen is very difficult.
What is the biggest problem with hydrogen? ›
Hydrogen's energy content by volume is low. This makes storing hydrogen a challenge because it requires high pressures, low temperatures, or chemical processes to be stored compactly.
What are three drawbacks to hydrogen fuel cells? ›
Hydrogen fuel cells
Cons: This space-age technology is expensive. Acceptable range requires extremely-high-pressure, on-board hydrogen storage. Few places to refuel. Hydrogen is very expensive to transport and there is no infrastructure in place yet.
Why did Honda stop making hydrogen cars? ›
Honda still sees a future for fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) despite discontinuing its only hydrogen-powered model in 2021 due to low demand and a lack of refuelling infrastructure.
Why are hydrogen cars not the future? Many drawbacks, such as fewer refueling stations, expensive maintenance, and inefficient fuel cells, can lead you to determine that hydrogen cars will not take over the current market of EVs in the future.
Will hydrogen take over electric cars? ›
Can hydrogen overtake batteries in cars? “The answer is no,” said Liebreich, without a moment's hesitation. Carmakers betting on a large share for hydrogen are “just wrong”, and heading for an expensive disappointment, he added.
Why aren t hydrogen cars good? ›
Unfortunately, a hydrogen fuel cell offers few advantages over a battery, with several deal-breaking disadvantages. The problems that show no sign of really being overcome include cost, lack of infrastructure and relative inefficiencies in delivering hydrogen to customers.
Is Tesla switching to hydrogen? ›
Tesla's Unexpected Move to Hydrogen
Musk, the head of Tesla, has often criticised hydrogen as energy storage. In a TV interview, he called it the "dumbest thing" for energy storage. Despite this, Tesla now plans to transition to hydrogen power by 2026.
What happens if a hydrogen car crashes? ›
4. What happens in the event of a hydrogen car accident? In the event of an accident, the hydrogen gas in the car's tank would likely be vented out safely due to the pressure relief devices installed.
Why are hydrogen cars bad for the environment? ›
While the vehicles themselves do not give off any pollution when running, the way the hydrogen that powers them is produced can sometimes cause pollution. Historically, hydrogen has mostly been produced from fossil fuels, using a process that emits CO2.
Why is hydrogen losing the race to power cleaner cars? ›
That's because nearly all hydrogen produced today (it's largely used for chemicals and fertilizers, and in oil and gas operations) is made using fossil fuels. So while a fuel-cell vehicle won't itself emit greenhouse gases, producing the hydrogen fuel it uses is usually responsible for some climate pollution.
Do hydrogen cars need oil changes? ›
Fuel cell vehicles are electric cars and, therefore, don't have many moving parts. Which means no oil change, smog test, or replacing belts or spark plugs. Only maintenance is standard wear-and tear-items like brakes, tires, filters, and fluids.
