A physicist has driven 1800 miles in a hydrogen car and compared it to an EV car based on different factors.
She compared them based on their driving range, refueling, efficiency, and infrastructure.
The car she used was the 2021 Toyota Mirai, a second-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
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Physicist compares a hydrogen car and an EV
Dianna Cowern compared these two types of cars in a video on her YouTube channel Physics Girl.
She uploaded the video in 2021 before both technologies were widely accepted.
While EV cars are a very common sight nowadays, hydrogen cars are still trying to find a footing.
When comparing the range of these cars, Cowern said EVs had an average range of 100-200 miles.
In comparison, she said hydrogen cars had an average range of about 300 miles.
The 2021 Toyota Mirai that they were driving, though, was a high-end car with a max range of 402 miles.
According to YouTuber DownieLive, the Toyota Mirai has all the advantages of an electric car with the benefits of a gas car.
Hydrogen vs Electric
Cowern also compared the refueling potential of the two cars.
She said a superfast changer could charge an EV in half an hour, but hydrogen cars required just five minutes to refuel.
However, keep in mind that you can charge an EV at home while finding a hydrogen refueling station might be pretty hard.
In 2024, California has more than 100,000 charging stations for electric cars, but less than 100 hydrogen stations.
In terms of power loss, it seems EVs are still much better with 70-90 percent efficiency compared to hydrogen’s 25-30 percent efficiency.
Although battery cells can lose capacity over time so this likely means less range for EV cars as time goes on.
