{"id":161880,"date":"2025-08-10T12:33:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/european-car-manufacturers-promised-happiness-with-hydrogen-batteries-but-reality-has-set-in\/"},"modified":"2025-08-10T12:33:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:33:24","slug":"european-car-manufacturers-promised-happiness-with-hydrogen-batteries-but-reality-has-set-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/european-car-manufacturers-promised-happiness-with-hydrogen-batteries-but-reality-has-set-in\/","title":{"rendered":"European car manufacturers promised happiness with hydrogen batteries, but reality has set in."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the quest to eliminate \u00a0fossil fuels\u00a0 from vehicles, electrification has been regarded as the most promising option. Currently, the automotive industry offers a plethora of choices: \u00a0100% electric\u00a0, \u00a0hybrid\u00a0, and \u00a0plug-in\u00a0 vehicles. However, some automakers remain skeptical about fully embracing electrification, prompting them to explore hydrogen-powered vehicles as an alternative. Recently, \u00a0Stellantis\u00a0 has become a notable example, announcing a halt to its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program, stirring discussions within the industry.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 1 --> <\/p>\n<p><strong>BMW<\/strong> has taken a stronger stance, advocating for hydrogen batteries as a strategic opportunity for \u00a0Europe\u00a0, particularly in the face of rising competition from China.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Short Release:<\/strong> Stellantis, a major automotive conglomerate formed from the merger of \u00a0Fiat\u00a0, \u00a0PSA\u00a0, and \u00a0Chrysler\u00a0, confirmed in a recent <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.media.stellantis.com\/es-es\/corporate-communications\/press\/stellantis-interrumpe-el-programa-de-desarrollo-de-tecnologia-de-celdas-de-combustible-de-hidrogeno\" target=\"_blank\">press release<\/a> that it has discontinued its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program. This move reflects the company&#8217;s assessment that the hydrogen market remains a &#8220;niche segment&#8221; that lacks medium-term economic sustainability. This development impacts various divisions, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cars<\/li>\n<li>Small vans<\/li>\n<li>Large vans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"article-asset article-asset-normal article-asset-center\">\n<div class=\"desvio-container\">\n<div class=\"desvio\">\n<div class=\"desvio-figure js-desvio-figure\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Next Steps:<\/strong> Stellantis has announced that personnel involved in R&#038;D related to hydrogen technology will be reallocated to other projects, focusing primarily on selling electric and hybrid vehicles. Jean-Philippe Imparato, Chief Operating Officer for Enlarged Europe, emphasized the need for clear and responsible decisions to maintain competitiveness and meet consumer expectations.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 3 -->  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Issues:<\/strong> One of the key arguments supporting hydrogen technology was the \u00a0speed of refueling\u00a0. While electric vehicles require a considerable amount of time to recharge, hydrogen-powered vehicles could theoretically match the quick refueling time of gasoline or diesel vehicles. However, this assumption is not entirely accurate.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 4 --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Toyota<\/strong> has been a major proponent of hydrogen technology, competing with vehicles like the \u00a0Initium\u00a0 from Hyundai or the \u00a0Mirai\u00a0. Although hydrogen-driven cars are being developed, their practicality for everyday use has been met with skepticism. For instance, the \u00a0GR LH2 Racing Concept\u00a0 and \u00a0GR Yaris\u00a0 models showcase hydrogen&#8217;s potential in racing but highlight the challenges of adopting hydrogen in daily life.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 5 -->  <\/p>\n<p>This skepticism can be attributed to the technical requirements associated with hydrogen fuel. The GR LH2 Racing needs a cryogenic system that maintains hydrogen at a chilling \u00a0-253 degrees Celsius\u00a0, complicating everyday usage due to the advanced isolation and manipulation that it requires. Given that hydrogen has nearly nine times lower energy density than gasoline, the complexities of storage make this technology unfeasible for the average consumer.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 6 --> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Without Hydrogen Stations, There Is No FCEV:<\/strong> Stellantis was anticipated to launch a new range of hydrogen-fueled vans, including the &#8220;Pro one fed by hydrogen,&#8221; but these plans have now been rendered void. Although some companies still have hope for hydrogen technology, the lack of refueling infrastructure severely undermines its sustainability.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 7 --><\/p>\n<p>In the United States, \u00a0Toyota\u00a0 has faced legal challenges from \u00a0Mirai\u00a0 owners, who argue that the company misled them regarding the convenience of hydrogen refueling, which is far from that of gasoline stations. Currently, there are only about a thousand hydrogen fueling stations globally, with several closing in countries like Germany due to low usage.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 8 --><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-asset article-asset-normal article-asset-center\">\n<div class=\"desvio-container\">\n<div class=\"desvio\">\n<div class=\"desvio-figure js-desvio-figure\">\n     <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A rotary engine that operates using hydrogen claims it could save combustion engines, an ambitious proposition\" width=\"375\" height=\"142\" src=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/The-most-economical-way-to-maintain-a-Mazda-RX-7-is.jpeg\"\/>\n   <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>BMW Advocates for Multiple Technologies:<\/strong> While traditional passenger cars face challenges, trucks present a different scenario. As \u00a0hydrogen truck technologies\u00a0 experience growing interest across the globe, BMW&#8217;s CEO has publicly defended hydrogen as an opportunity for Europe to lessen its dependency on China&#8217;s battery production. Although BMW has yet to release a hydrogen-fueled car, it does plan to launch an SUV by 2028, aiming to diversify its portfolio.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BREAK 9 -->  <\/p>\n<p>As the automotive landscape shifts, the future of hydrogen technology remains uncertain. The balance between \u00a0innovation and practicality\u00a0 is critical as manufacturers assess their strategies amid evolving consumer preferences and global market pressures.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/category\/general\/\" rel=\"dofollow\">General News &#8211; 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the quest to eliminate \u00a0fossil fuels\u00a0 from vehicles, electrification has been regarded as the most promising option. Currently, the automotive industry offers a plethora of choices: \u00a0100% electric\u00a0, \u00a0hybrid\u00a0, and \u00a0plug-in\u00a0 vehicles. However, some automakers remain skeptical about fully embracing electrification, prompting them to explore hydrogen-powered vehicles as an alternative. Recently, \u00a0Stellantis\u00a0 has become [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36399],"tags":[4171,475,853,7695,2494,6002,4332,2117,1428],"class_list":["post-161880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-batteries","tag-car","tag-european","tag-happiness","tag-hydrogen","tag-manufacturers","tag-promised","tag-reality","tag-set"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}