The world's major automakers are looking for diversified development directions to start new opportunities for hydrogen vehicles

In response to the inevitable trend of replacing the current fuel vehicles, various types of vehicles are blooming in the new generation of vehicles, such as hybrid vehicles (HV), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) and pure electric vehicles (EV). This is the first time in the history of automobiles that this kind of automobile power is developing towards diversification. Because most of them use the existing electric power system, they can charge and store energy through the addition of chargers. On the other hand, hydrogen vehicles are subject to difficulties in obtaining hydrogen energy, and market acceptance is sluggish. Taking the United States, the most important automobile market in the world, as an example, according to the statistics of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the sales of hydrogen energy vehicles in the United States in 2020 are quite weak, with only 937 units sold, down 55% from the previous year. However, the current way of using lithium batteries as a power source for automobiles is not flawless. There are extreme limitations in range and extreme temperature operation, and it is not suitable for heavy vehicles. Furthermore, the production and recycling of lithium batteries cause environmental damage and go against the establishment of green home’s vision. Recently, major countries in the world and their industries have fully understood the limitations and problems of lithium electric vehicles, and gradually moved closer to hydrogen energy vehicles. In 2021, the hydrogen vehicle market in the United States will not only resume growth, but also set a new record of 3,341 vehicles. Although the number is still small, it still has an incentive effect. The government's emphasis on hydrogen energy and various necessary measures including subsidies are equivalent to handing over a key to the automakers to start the development of hydrogen energy vehicles.

References
 

• Electrek, 2020-04-22, Bradley Berman, Daimler ends hydrogen car development because it’s too costly

• Financial Times, 2020-05-10, Richard Milne, Volvo and Daimler bet on hydrogen truck boom this decade

• Green Car Congress, 2022-05-20, Renault Scénic Vision hydrogen hybrid concept offers 75% smaller carbon footprint than a conventional BEV

• Electrek, 2022-01-20, Scooter Doll, Honda CEO says Toyota’s strategy topursue hydrogen combustion ‘doesn’t seem feasible’
• CNBC,2021-06-21, Michael Wayland, GM plans to expand fuel-cell businessbeyond EVs

• General Motors, News Room, GM Plans to Broaden Electrification, Expanding Fuel Cells Beyond Vehicles

• Reuters, 2021-09-22, Nick Garey, German auto giants place their bets on hydrogen car

• CNBC,2022-05-22, Anmar Frangoul, The most dumb thing’: Elon Musk dismisses hydrogen as tool for energy storage
• Bloomberg, 2022-05-26, Annie Lee, The Trouble With Lithium 
• Gear Patrol, 2022-03-15, Tyler Duffy, Ford May Be Planning to Keep the Internal Combustion Mustang Alive