Everyone is talking about electric cars, but hydrogen cars are also an interesting alternative. The technical problem with electrically operated vehicles is that the range is still very limited and charging takes a disproportionately long time. This is especially true if you compare this with the refueling process of a classic combustion engine. A so-called hydrogen car, on the other hand, can be refueled comparatively quickly. With a corresponding filling station network, it is possible to cover long distances without any problems. Therefore, many experts see the future of individual mobility in this technology. This text deals with the hydrogen car models of 2020.
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Contents
What is the difference between hydrogen cars and electric vehicles?
In principle, both fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles are vehicles powered by electric motors. This means that hydrogen cars also have the same disadvantages and problems. The list of hydrogen cars is still short in The United Kingdom, although they eliminate a major problem for purely electric vehicles. The two types of vehicles differ in how the electrical energy is made available for the motor or motors. While the purely electric vehicles that are more common today use battery storage, hydrogen technology for your car uses a fuel cell to „burn“ hydrogen to water. and generates electrical energy directly in the vehicle. This allows hydrogen cars to have a longer range, especially because hydrogen cars can be significantly more efficient.
We have already briefly explained the function of hydrogen cars. Basically, it is important to first understand how a hydrogen car works before you can deal with specific models and the problems of hydrogen cars. So that you too can participate in the future of hydrogen cars, we have carried out a hydrogen car test and in this article we briefly present the eight best models. The different hydrogen models rarely differ in structure, but often in consumption. Be inspired by the fascination of car hydrogen drives and get to know the new hydrogen cars. Due to the advantages of hydrogen cars, you will soon smile at other vehicle models.
The best hydrogen models in The United Kingdom 2020
In our hydrogen car test, we selected the eight best models, which we would like to briefly present here.
1st place: The Toyota Mirai
This fuel cell car has a good range of around 500 kilometers. The built-in electric motor has an output of 114 kW or 155 hp. Around 5 kilograms of fuel can be stored in the hydrogen tank. This means that this hydrogen car consumes around 0.76 kg per 100 kilometers. For technological reasons, no CO2 is emitted into the air while driving. However, the list price of the sedan is around €78,500.
2nd place: The Honda Clarity
This is also a classic fuel cell vehicle. At 650 kilometers, the range is slightly higher than that of our first-placed model. Here, too, there is a 5 kg hydrogen tank on board, with the engine power reaching 130 kW or 176 hp. When it comes to consumption, the car is content with 0.7 kg per 100 kilometers. A disadvantage is that this car is currently only sold in Japan and California.
3rd place: The Hyundai Nexo
With an increased tank capacity of maximum 6.33 kg of hydrogen, this sedan can still drive 750 kilometers with an average consumption of 0.84 kg of hydrogen per 100 km. For a list price of around €77,000 you get an engine with an output of 120 kW or 163 hp.
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4th place: The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL
As a special feature, this fuel cell vehicle has an additional lithium-ion battery on board. Therefore, this car is also referred to as a hybrid vehicle. With a hydrogen tank of 4.4 kg and a battery capacity of 13.8 kWh, you can drive a maximum of almost 480 km with this SUV in hybrid mode. The pure battery capacity is sufficient for around 50 km. The vehicle cannot be purchased, but only rented as part of a full-service contract.
5th place: The BMW Hydrogen 7
This vehicle features the latest electric motor technology from this vehicle manufacturer. This model was initially built as a small series and not for the large market. The basis for this is the BMW 7 Series model. In contrast to the hydrogen cars presented so far, however, this is not an electric vehicle with a fuel cell, but a hydrogen combustion engine. This model is only available as a used vehicle because production has been discontinued.
6th place: The Pininfarina H2 Speed
This futuristic was presented for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016. It is now available as a small series. The built-in fuel cell has an output of 210 kW and the acceleration of the car to 100 km/h takes only 3.4 seconds. The top speed is an impressive 300 km/h.
  ;7th place: The Ford Airstream
This model was presented as a concept vehicle back in 2007 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit/Michigan. The futuristic-looking car is a hybrid vehicle including a battery. A full charge is sufficient for a distance of around 40 kilometers, with the hydrogen engine extending the total range to 490 kilometers.
8th place: The BMW hydrogen X5
Many hydrogen models are currently only allowed to drive selected testers – BMW calls these pioneers – in a kind of rental model. The total output of this car based on the X5 is a maximum of 374 hp. This vehicle model should not be available for the general market until 2022. The technical details of the BMW presented as a concept vehicle in 2019 promise a lot. Therefore, he can already secure place 8 in our test.
Conclusion
Today there are already a few series-ready hydrogen cars on the market. These are still comparatively expensive to buy, but you can still drive them to all cities in the future without worrying about environmental zones. Hydrogen cars are climate-neutral themselves, as long as the required fuel is also produced in a climate-neutral manner. The filling station network is also not yet available across the board, but work is being done at full speed on this topic. All in all, among the models presented here you will find many interesting vehicles that you should consider when making your purchase decision.
A tip from CarTipsandmore: The network of filling stations for hydrogen is currently still quite sparse. Therefore, when buying a hydrogen car, you should find out exactly where you can find gas stations in The United Kingdom. If you pass one of these regularly, nothing stands in the way of optimal driving pleasure with your new hydrogen car.