Hydrogen Cell Technology - today. What's coming down the Yellowhead?

I've secretly always wanted an electric full sized car.  

 

Like a BMW 733i I used to own, but electric.  Now, it was not overly heavy, but probably more than a typical electric vehicle, so I would want to stick a hybrid system into it after removing the ICE and associated equipment.
So that just leaves me with a H2 Fuel Cell Stack system.

I can dream...I'd really like my Bimmer back - only car I could reliably do 240kph and not blow a gasket! Got it from a doctor, so it was (at the time) loaded.  Gas warm-up heater, so car was  warm before you left your home to get in. Ran on gasoline, exhaust was right under the passenger door LOL. Ran on a Timer! My small-town Mechanic used a stethoscope to give it a tune up. Taught me to keep an eye on oil level when going up to and coming down from over 200kph. Something to do with expansion...?

Anyways...

I think a 2Kw Battery in back, fuel tank(s) under rear seat, FCS under the front seats and all the other junk up front where the motor used to be. Still can go 250kph on the Autobahn, right?

Why? Why would I want this kind of car.  Is it worth it. Can I afford the newest offerings.
Lets find out What, Why and How Hydrogen power can be made without burning it.

So... 

 Lets talk Hydrogen cell technology.  The clear leader in this field is Toyota, having been selling H2 Cell technology cars for almost 20 years, and each year, it gets better and better.

What is a Fuel Cell Vehicle?  Basically, the H2 is combined with Oxygen from the atmosphere, using special plates in each cell, which generates electricity as the ions move from the Positive plates to the Negative plates, generating electricity and producing water as the waste element. Water that is simply dumped onto the ground in all cases. Some will have a hose, some will have a container to be manually emptied.

Here is a rundown of exactly how the H2 provides power to the batteries, then to the final drive motor.
                    

1. Hydrogen is supplied to the anode (negative) side of the fuel cell

2. Hydrogen molecules activated by the anode catalyst release electrons

3. The electrons travel from the anode to the cathode (positive) side of the fuel cell, creating an electrical current

4. The hydrogen molecules that released the electrons become hydrogen ions and move through the polymer electrolyte membrane to the cathode side

5. Hydrogen ions bond with ambient oxygen and electrons on the cathode catalyst to form water

6. Electricity produced by the fuel cell is directed to an electric motor to deliver drive to the vehicle

7. Regenerated energy is stored in a secondary battery that supplements power from the fuel cell by providing auxiliary power to the electric motor

I offer this graphic just so that you can see the difference between an Electric, Electric-Hybrid and a Fuel Cell.  In the FCS, there is no motor of any kind at all.  Any water produced in the Fuel Cell Stack is dumped outboard via exhaust pipes, or held in a tank until parked.

                  

This year, Toyota is selling worldwide, the Toyota Mirai, a  mid-size hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) manufactured by Toyota, and is the first FCV to be mass-produced and sold commercially.

 

So, looking at the Mirai back in 2021, it had a 5.65kg tank of H2.  Combined with the battery pack, it had a range of over 1,360km (845 mi).  The ICE version of the Mirai had a max range of 500km (300mi). {EDIT- This may be an error as source document seems corrupted}  I'm thinking now that the range is more likely 5-600km per charge,  a mistake that a source seemed not to support.

I did some calculations, and the 5.65Kg H2 Tank would have been refilled 3 times for this trip.  Each tank of H2 contains, by volume, something like 67.63 cubic meters of Gas for use to convert to Electricity.

To be clear - there is NO motor that the H2 burns within.  It is totally a continual chemical process to keeps producing electricity as long as H2 is introduced to the "stacks".

IN Canada - 5.65Kg of H2 Fuel would cost $83 - that is the cost of fill-up using Canada's price guide of $14.70/Kg.  

Do you see any savings here???  Hmmmmm

Anyways.

So, even though it was not the best Toyota made, it still made worldwide industry clutch their pocketbooks closer to their chests.  

I'm not going into details about horse power and torque (247 lb.ft) but I will mention something that initially dropped my jaw.

Back in 2018, two British gents took their new Mirai to the furthest northern point of the Great Isles (Orkney, apparently) then drove South to Land's End, a total of 1,785 km, averaging a speed of 90 kph. They made 3 stops for refueling, including start/near finish.  total fueling time at all 3 stops was 15 minutes.  That was only because a mobile truck took almost 10 minutes to refuel and the stations only took 3 minutes.

 The journey took 19 hours, 40 minutes with H2 consumption of 0.9 kg per 100km.

Doing the math, and confirming with online data, the car consumed 16.1 kg of H2 for the entire trip. In Canada, the H2 cost total would be just over Cdn $236!!!

BUT - With Zero Emissions!!! And filling up in all cases was under 5 minutes, often much faster! 

Convinced yet?  Well, hold on a second, there's more.

So, lets look at the science.  

All we need to make electricity is Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O), which is taken out of the ambient air around us. The Hydrogen is stored in the Toyota's 3-layer composite shielded tank, capable of easily maintaining the 10,000 psi pressure cryogenic H2 requires.  

We've already discussed the "range" of the world-record trip, the ludicrous range the large tanks provide, but not the voltage, amperage and wattage.

The 2018 driving motor is a 113 Kw drive (about 152 Hp), driven from a 1.6Kw  245V NiMH battery pack, similar to the one used in the Camry Hybrid. By 2025, the final drivel was upped to 182 hp!  I had to laugh because the 2025 model comes with "dual exhaust", when in reality, a simple drip tube would have been sufficient LOL.

 The 2025 model lists it's fuel consumption  "equivalent" averages 3.2 L/100 km. The range is unknown, but reading a reddit stream, most owners were stating that they were getting between 300 and 350 miles per fill-up.  (500-600 km)

Looking at Inside EV's dot com (https://insideevs.com), I see that they have an article on the latest models of Toyota Mirai.  The fuel cell stack can produce 114 Kw of power, and they state it has a range of about 300 miles (500km). The list says the tank volume is 37 L, so with a consumption of 3.1/100 km equivalent, this car should have a range of almost 1,000 km, however they then list the "cruising range" of 300 miles.  WTF?

Then it states that the storage mass (the H2 itself) is approx 5.0 kg.  

But the next line goes on to  state "Combined tank weight" is 87.5 Kg.  That means that the tank alone, weighs around 80Kg!

I think Wikipedia may be out to lunch as the Inside EV's article was referenced in the Wiki as the source of the 87 kg of fuel, not weight of tank. That is obviously wrong.  The tank is heavy because it has to contain up to 100,000psi.

That being said, the latest article also states "With the new fuel cell, it could theoretically drive up to 480 miles on a full tank."

Prices for the 2025 Mirai in the US are currently around $57k, however they estimate that the price could potentially fall to under $45k. 

Can you imagine, say, an Austin Mini with a 182hp  drive???  Yuh, someone will attempt this, I'm sure LOL.

Summing up right now.

So, is H2 the fuel of the future, or only for industrial applications.  Burning H2 in an ICE vehicle seems a waste simply because of the cost of the fuel, the lower power, the poorer pulling capability, and difficulty finding a fueling station, because of late, they have been scarcer then Alberta Conservatives using public hospitals.

Even the 2 chaps in England had to arrange the 3rd fill-up from a mobile truck, thus costing them 7 minutes more than the expected 3 minute fill-up.  Dammmmnnnn!

The other issue is that parts cannot be sourced after-market as each part is particular to each vehicle, and not enough of them are on the road to permit such parts to be manufactured anywhere but the Factory. 

The Good? Well, It's electric, so it is silent, quiet and fast, dare I say?  This means way fewer parts to wear out/break, lower maintenance costs, no pollution, 3 minute fill-ups,  and did I mention it's quiet?  Okay, the Mirai's latest Fuel Stack can convert the same amount of cyro-H2 (5.2Kg, was it?) for 480 miles (770km) for a $83 fill-up in 2 minutes?  Sure, that's much better than the 2024 stats.  

Additionally, Toyota says this new 2025 Fuel Stack is simpler to manufacture, making it cheaper and passing on savings to owners.  A double win.                                

That is about all I have to say about H2 - It is an option, it is all-season, it is electric drive, environmentally friendly and not overly more expensive than running, say, a ICE Sedan or SUV.  I just hope they will start making some mid-sized cars too, not just roller skates.

I'm still waiting for my Amazon Mr. Fusion adapter kit to arrive!               

Peace friends, 

Edwin.

.- .-.