In light of the growing global emphasis on renewable energy, the competition to find alternative cars that rely on fossil fuels has reached a new level. Tesla, headed by Elon Musk and the US President Donald Trump, has recently started a verbal battle against hydrogen cars.
These comments have stirred the hornet’s nest and brought into focus the future of hydrogen cars. It could transform the dynamics of clean energy technology that the hydrogen car movement poses with the battle between two high-profile personalities.
Elon Musk’s bold claim: “Hydrogen is a silly choice” for the future
Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been quite critical of hydrogen as a fuel for automobiles. He has repeatedly remarked on hydrogen-powered cars, referring to them as inefficient and impractical. Musk’s criticism escalated to new levels when he answered an open letter from over 100 scientists, academics, and engineers who expressed scepticism at Toyota’s use of the Paris Olympics to push its hydrogen-powered car, the Mirai.
Musk was quick to dismiss hydrogen vehicles as silly, and that they should not distract from the more practical battery-electric vehicle (BEV) solutions. These comments from Musk are based on the analysis that hydrogen vehicles require three times as much electricity as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to provide the same output.
He said that the structures necessary to generate green hydrogen and energize hydrogen automobiles are much more resource-demanding and, thus, contrary to the global action toward net-zero emissions. Elon Musk has recently called hydrogen the “fool’s battery,” arguing that the world is going electric and hydrogen density is insufficient to replace oil.
Donald Trump’s controversial statements: spreading misinformation about hydrogen cars
Joining the bandwagon of critics is ex-US President Donald Trump, who has not been shy of making politically incorrect remarks and went on to bash hydrogen-powered cars. Trump recently made some more false statements to the public, claiming that hydrogen vehicles can explode.
He used strong words in front of key players of the automotive and technological worlds, stating that the cars run on hydrogen “explode like a bomb.” Despite having no evidence to support such statements – no car powered by hydrogen has ever exploded – Trump’s words have resonated well with his supporters.
Many interpreted his words as a direct shot at the emerging market of electric vehicles (EVs) that has risen with the current administration. The president’s words seem to echo Tesla’s opinion about hydrogen fuel cells as a possible future energy source for transportation.
The clean energy race: Will hydrogen or electric vehicles lead the way?
As the argument between hydrogen cars and electric cars in the future continues, nobody knows what will happen next. The world’s leading EV maker, Tesla under Elon Musk, has put much focus on battery electric vehicles as the solution to combating climate change.
On the other hand, hydrogen supporters insist on a much more diversified strategy for transportation electrification. The political support from such personalities as Trump also complicates the issue as the perception of clean energy technologies is shifting to the extreme.
Musk and Trump’s recent antagonism to hydrogen-powered vehicles has led many to ask whether this will slow down the development of hydrogen-powered cars in the coming years.
But with both governments and automakers around the world now pouring billions of dollars into efforts to shift to clean energy alternatives, it seems plausible that hydrogen will nevertheless continue to be a part of the discussion—albeit one that will assuredly face fierce pushback from some of the most influential voices in the tech and political establishments.
In conclusion, the war between Tesla, Trump, and the hydrogen advocates is defined on a deeper level in the clean energy war. Between electric and hydrogen vehicles, the two industries are likely to fight for market supremacy in the coming years.
The moves of these influential players will determine the future direction of development in the transportation sector in the next few decades. We do not know if hydrogen will successfully weather the criticisms or disappear into the sunset, but the battle for a new generation of renewable energy is not over yet.
