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Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are less efficient than battery-electric vehicles

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are generally less efficient than battery electric vehicles (BEVs) primarily due to the energy losses associated with hydrogen production, storage, and conversion. The electrolysis process has a conversion efficiency of 60-70% depending on the type of electrolyzer. This hydrogen must then be compressed or liquefied for storage, processes that consume additional energy and result in further losses. When hydrogen is used in a fuel cell to generate electricity, the conversion efficiency is around 60%.1 In contrast, BEVs benefit from the direct use of electricity stored in batteries and have a conversion efficiency of over 85%.2 Therefore, the multiple stages of energy conversion and handling in FCVs contribute to a lower overall efficiency compared to the relatively straightforward and efficient process of storing and using electricity in BEVs.

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Footnotes​

  1. Department of Energy. (2015, November). Fuel Cells. https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/articles/fuel-cells-fact-sheet#:~:text=The%20fuel%20cell%20system%20can,a%20gasoline%20internal%20combustion%20engine. ↩

  2. Boloor, M., Valderrama, P., Statler, A., & Garcia, S. (2019, July 31). Electric vehicle basics. National Resource Defense Council. https://www.nrdc.org/bio/madhur-boloor/electric-vehicle-basics ↩