Hydrogen-powered Vehicles: A Realistic Path to Clean Energy?

Transportation is the largest U.S. contributor to climate change, making hydrogen power a potential long-term solution for reducing carbon emissions. However, hydrogen is not yet a perfect solution.

Currently, most hydrogen production uses natural gas or coal, which pollutes the air and warms the planet. A study by Cornell and Stanford researchers found that most hydrogen production emits carbon dioxide, meaning hydrogen-fueled transportation is not yet truly clean energy.

Proponents believe that hydrogen production will become more environmentally friendly over time, utilizing wind and solar energy to separate hydrogen and oxygen in water. As renewable energy use expands, hydrogen production should become cleaner and cheaper.

Within three years, General Motors, Navistar, and the trucking firm J.B. Hunt plan to build fueling stations and run hydrogen trucks on several U.S. freeways. Toyota, Kenworth, and the Port of Los Angeles are testing hydrogen trucks to transport goods from ships to warehouses.

Volvo Trucks, Daimler Trucks AG, and other manufacturers have also announced partnerships to commercialize zero-emissions trucks, meeting stricter pollution regulations. In Germany, a hydrogen-powered train began operating in 2018, with more planned. French-based Airbus is considering hydrogen for its airliners.

“This is about the closest I’ve seen us get so far to that real turning point,” said Shawn Litster, a professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who has studied hydrogen fuel cells for nearly two decades. Hydrogen has long been used in the production of fertilizer, steel, petroleum, concrete, and chemicals, and has powered vehicles for years. Around 35,000 forklifts in the U.S. are powered by hydrogen. Its use in heavy transportation could replace diesel-burning polluters.

The timeline for widespread hydrogen adoption is uncertain. Craig Scott, Toyota’s head of advanced technology in North America, estimates the company is about two years away from having a hydrogen truck ready for sale. Building more fueling stations is crucial for broader adoption.

Kirt Conrad, CEO of Canton’s transit authority, says interest in the technology is high, and SARTA takes its buses around the country for demonstrations. Canton’s system, which bought its first three hydrogen buses in 2016, has since added 11 and built a fueling station. Two California transit systems also have hydrogen buses in their fleets.

“We’ve demonstrated that our buses are reliable and cost-efficient, breaking down barriers to wider adoption,” Conrad said. At the Port of Los Angeles, five semis with Toyota hydrogen powertrains began hauling freight in April. This $82.5 million public-private project will eventually have 10 semis. Hydrogen fuel is part of President Joe Biden’s plans to cut emissions in half by 2030. The Senate-approved infrastructure bill includes $9 billion for research to reduce the cost of making clean hydrogen and for regional hydrogen manufacturing hubs.

The long-haul trucking industry seems the most likely early adopter of hydrogen. Fuel cells, converting hydrogen gas into electricity, offer a longer range than battery-electric trucks, perform better in cold weather, and can be refueled faster than electric batteries can be recharged.

This quick refueling time is an advantage for vehicles like taxis or delivery trucks that are in constant use. London-based Green Tomato Cars uses 60 hydrogen fuel cell-powered Toyota Mirai cars in its 500-car zero-emission fleet. Co-founder Jonny Goldstone notes that drivers can travel over 300 miles on a tank and refuel in three minutes.

For now, Green Tomato is among the largest operators of hydrogen vehicles in Europe, which has about 2,000 fuel cell cars, garbage trucks, and delivery vans on the roads. About 7,500 hydrogen fuel cell cars are on the road in the U.S., mostly in California. Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai produce these cars, which are priced higher than gasoline-powered vehicles. California has 45 public fueling stations, with more planned.

Experts believe the future of passenger vehicles in the U.S. will rely mainly on electric battery power, not hydrogen. Fully electric vehicles can travel farther on a small battery than most people need to go.

Currently, hydrogen production adds to pollution rather than reducing it. The world produces about 75 million tons of hydrogen annually, mostly through carbon-emitting processes involving natural gas.

China uses higher-polluting coal. “Blue” hydrogen, made from natural gas, requires an additional step to store emitted carbon dioxide below the earth’s surface. The Cornell and Stanford study found that blue hydrogen production emits 20% more carbon than burning natural gas or coal for heat.

Currently, it costs more to produce a hydrogen truck and its fuel than a diesel-powered truck. Hydrogen costs about $13 per kilogram in California, slightly more than a gallon of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel, by contrast, costs about $3.25 per gallon in the U.S. Experts predict that as hydrogen production technology scales up, costs will decrease.

“As they scale up the technology for production, hydrogen costs should come down,” said Carnegie Mellon’s Litster. While a diesel semi can cost around $150,000, the cost of fuel cell trucks is uncertain. Nikola, a startup making electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, estimated last year that it would sell each hydrogen semi for about $235,000.

Clean electricity could eventually be used to produce and store hydrogen at rail yards, refueling locomotives and semis with zero emissions. Cummins predicts widespread hydrogen use in the U.S. by 2030, driven by stricter diesel emissions regulations and government zero-emissions vehicle requirements. Europe has already set ambitious green hydrogen targets to accelerate its use. “That’s going to blow the market open and drive it,” Cargnelli said. “Then you’ll see other places like North America follow suit.”