HW #9

Fuel cell cars seem to have at least some presence in the market ever since they entered it
in 2015. They are sold by Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda. The main thing holding them back when
they first came out seemed to be the low production and select geographical availability. The
production issue seems to be progressing however since it is mentioned in the article that Toyota
boosted production of its Mirai in 2016 to 2000 cars and plans to increase yearly. Hyundai plans
to produce 1000 Tuscons and distribute them to 18 countries while Honda also plans similar
production numbers for the clarity. By the end of this decade, all three companies aim to produce
at least tens of thousands of their respective fuel cell flagships. One big reason this is possible is
because the efficiency of PEM fuel cells as well as the cost of to make them (platinum) have
been reduced which allows for more flexible designs and lower costs. However, the main issue
of storage/charging remains. The article mentions that all 29 retail hydrogen filling stations in the
US are all in California in 2017. This limiting factor is obviously a big reason behind hesitation
to invest more into fuel cell cars and reflects public opinion on accepting fuel cell cars. Although
there are plans to increase and expand these stations, fuel cell car popularity seems to be pretty
stagnant compared to its star contemporary, the EV. Fuel cell buses seem to be pretty successful
so the industry might be best served in the big rig sector for now before expanding more
aggressively into commercial cars, especially since platinum is still pretty expensive.
The future for fuel cell cars vs electric cars seems pretty up in the air. At this time, the
electric vehicle is the new big thing, partly because of a transition from the hybrid vehicle. Since
hybrid vehicles were able to gain an edge in the market, people were more open to the idea of
electricity being used as a source of power for the engine. Electric vehicle companies like Tesla
and Rivian are the craze and other big car manufacturers are following the trend by releasing
their own EV models (Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, Mercedes, BMW, etc). However, in light
of this, hydrogen cars offer advantages such as fast charging yet also downsides such as cost to
recharge. Once fuel cell technology is able to catch up in terms of innovation and are able to cut
down the cost the own and maintain a fuel cell car, it will be a more accepted technology in the
automotive market. Until then however, electric vehicles will outshine them.