Elon Musk shocked followers on Twitter early this morning with his announcement that, after many years of scepticism, he will be switching Tesla from batteries to hydrogen power in 2024. He also mentioned the first vehicle to arrive using the fuel will fittingly be called the Model H.
Musk had previously dubbed hydrogen fuel cells “fool cells” and called the technology “mind-bogglingly stupid”. The rapid about turn is thought to be due to terminal problems encountered in the mass production of the 4680 battery.
The Model H will sit somewhere between the Model X and Model Y in size and be another vehicle in the “crossover” segment that has become one of the most popular body styles currently on the market. In typical Musk fashion, the Model H will have ground-breaking features, with the headline capability being “Hindenburg Mode” derived from SpaceX technology. This uses on-board hydrogen to provide a rocket-based flaming speed boost, which will reportedly allow the Model H to hit 60mph in just 1.2 seconds. This will rapidly deplete range, though, which is WLTP-rated at 451 miles with a more frugal driving style.
The Model H will be a five-seater but with a seven-seat option and is clearly aimed at occupant comfort on long journeys. The water output from the fuel cell can be piped into the car to provide refreshing drinks for passengers. The AMD Ryzen-powered entertainment system will also come pre-loaded with a series of classic movies and documentaries, including Chain Reaction, Cold Fusion: Fire from Water, Element One, and Dr Teller’s Very Large Bomb. The Dyson Sphere Program game will also be available for both front and rear passengers.
Tesla insiders claim the Model H will be followed in 2025 by the much-anticipated Model 2, which will now also run on hydrogen, providing an expected 400-mile range in a compact hatchback form. This will reportedly make hydrogen cars affordable, as they are currently even more expensive to buy than EVs, and more expensive to fuel than internal combustion cars.
Finally, in 2027, the most audacious member of the new Tesla Hydrogen range will arrive – the Model O. This will be Tesla’s hydrogen-powered coupe and will also be known as the O-dster. It will incorporate an upgraded Hindenburg Mode capable of accelerating it to 60mph in just 0.2 seconds. To enable this mode, occupants must be strapped into the specially designed gel-based “crash seats” and, at least 30 minutes prior to acceleration, consume a custom drug aimed at counteracting the G-force and preventing aneurisms.
Alongside the arrival of the Models H, 2 and O, Tesla’s Supercharger network will be phased out and replaced by hydrogen fuel pumps called Protium Shakestations. These will be available to all hydrogen-powered vehicles from launch, if any other manufacturers can be bothered to make them.
Tesla will also be investigating powering future vehicles with deuterium and tritium variants of hydrogen, in a strategy Musk is calling the New Isotope Age. Musk is allegedly counteracting the much-discussed inefficiency of hydrogen by using a new “yellow” version created from genetically modified lemons.
When asked to comment on Tesla’s shift to hydrogen, Toyota spokesperson Jon Shunt said: “The utter cheek of it! After all the negative comments he has made about hydrogen, Elon Musk waits until we’ve backed away from it and pledged 30 BEVs by 2030 to announce this. I can’t believe even he would mess us around so much. Just as we’ve switched to batteries, he goes hydrogen! What a total b******!”
Advanced orders can now be placed for the Model H via Tesla’s website, exclusively in Dogecoin.
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