In a move that’s sure to excite some but raise eyebrows among sceptics, BMW and Toyota have announced a joint venture aimed at bringing next-generation fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) to market. BMW plans to launch its first series production hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2028, positioning it as an additional “zero local emissions” option. While this collaboration may sound promising on paper, it's difficult to ignore the broader issues with hydrogen as a fuel for consumer vehicles – issues that extend far beyond the shiny marketing spin.
At first glance, the partnership between these two automotive giants appears to be a step towards a cleaner, hydrogen-powered future. Toyota, which has long championed hydrogen technology, is deepening its ties with BMW to advance a new fuel cell powertrain. Both companies see hydrogen as a “complement” to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and claim that it's an essential part of a future with diverse energy options. The catch, however, is that this hydrogen-driven vision may not be quite as green as it seems.
Hydrogen – The Next Green Solution or Another Fossil Fuel Shell Game?
While hydrogen is touted as a zero-emission fuel, the reality is far more complicated. Unless the hydrogen used is entirely produced through renewable energy (referred to as “green hydrogen“), its environmental credentials fall apart. The vast majority of hydrogen today comes from natural gas – producing what's known as grey or blue hydrogen – and this process emits significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Worse still, black hydrogen is made directly from coal. BMW and Toyota’s announcement doesn't make any guarantees about using only green hydrogen, which leaves room for scepticism. After all, what good is a zero-emission vehicle if the fuel powering it comes with a heavy carbon footprint?
This leads to the suspicion that hydrogen's potential in consumer vehicles could serve the interests of oil-producing states, allowing them to prolong their dominance in the global energy market by keeping the focus on fuels that are far from environmentally sound. A shift towards hydrogen infrastructure could end up being another way to ensure the continued extraction and use of fossil fuels, albeit in a more palatable form.
Battery EVs and the Power of Local Energy
This is where battery electric vehicles (BEVs) hold a distinct advantage. Unlike FCEVs, which depend on a yet-to-be-fully-developed hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, BEVs can be powered directly from local renewable energy sources, such as solar panels. For the average consumer, this means a future where trips to the fuel station – hydrogen or otherwise – could become a thing of the past. Why rely on external fuel sources, with all their complexities and hidden carbon footprints, when you can generate clean, renewable power from your own roof?
Moreover, the development of charging infrastructure for BEVs is advancing far more rapidly than the infrastructure for hydrogen. This makes the push for hydrogen in the consumer space seem all the more puzzling. Is it truly about advancing technology, or is it about maintaining the status quo of centralised, corporate-controlled energy distribution?
A Multinational Collaboration, But at What Cost?
BMW and Toyota’s push to create “synergies” by jointly developing fuel cell powertrain systems might lower the cost of producing hydrogen vehicles. Still, this won’t change the fact that BEVs are already well on their way to becoming the dominant zero-emission vehicle technology. The idea of offering hydrogen-powered variants of existing models seems like a half-step at best, and a distraction from the more effective, readily available solutions we already have.
The companies also claim to be working on expanding the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, but this is far from a simple task. Even if hydrogen could be produced entirely green, the cost of building and maintaining this infrastructure is enormous, and it’s hard to see how it can compete with the far simpler and already widespread charging network for BEVs.
The Hydrogen Hype Train Rolls On
BMW and Toyota's push for fuel cells, at its core, seems to be about offering more options, and they’ve certainly aligned themselves with a multi-pathway approach to decarbonisation. But when those pathways include technologies that may continue to rely on fossil fuel-based hydrogen production, it becomes increasingly difficult to view this as a truly green solution.
Ultimately, we’re left asking the question: why not focus all our efforts on improving BEVs and their supporting infrastructure, which can already deliver a cleaner, more independent future for consumers? The answer might lie not in the desire to cut carbon emissions, but in the interests of those who still want us tied to centralised, corporate-controlled energy systems.
Hydrogen has its place, particularly in industries where batteries may not be practical. But for personal vehicles, it's hard not to see it as a questionable detour on the road to a genuinely sustainable future.
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