• lnxtx@feddit.nl
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    2 months ago

    Light-duty vehicles = Terrible

    I can read:

    • FCEVs currently outperform BEVs on range and refueling speed.
      However, 96 percent of LDV trips are less than 125 miles, meaning BEVs can complete most trips on a single charge. [1]

      • main advantage, look like not actually needed

    • BEVs are much more efficient, requiring two to three times less clean electricity than FCEVs using electrolytic hydrogen. [2]

      • efficiency; but we have excess on a windy or sunny day

    1. Amol Phadke et al., “The 2035 Report: Plummeting Costs and Dramatic Improvements in Batteries Can Accelerate Our Clean Transportation Future” (University of California, Berkeley, April 2021), 25 ↩︎

    2. Sam Wilson, “Hydrogen-Powered Heavy-Duty Trucks,” 9–10. ↩︎

    • silence7@slrpnk.netOP
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      2 months ago

      Yes, there are times when there is excess, but big capital expenditures like an industrial-sized electrolyzer come with ongoing interest payments, so there’s a huge financial incentive to run them 24/7. Running it only sometimes means sharply higher capital costs for each mole of hydrogen produced. It’s a nasty balancing act.

      • gandalf_der_12te@slrpnk.net
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        2 months ago

        actually, that’s not true. I built a hobby-grade hydrolysis machine in my garage for a total of $3. I can’t imagine hydrolysis machines to be significantly expensive in general.

        The reason why they’re expensive today is because they’re completely over-engineered. But that’s not physics’ fault. It’s just someone seeking the “highest-quality product” instead of one that makes economic sense.