The three advantages of using hydrogen as a fuel 

1. It is a clean fuel

Hydrogen is a perfectly clean fuel, because the only waste it produces is water vapour. In its
free state it consists of two atoms (H 2) which, when combined with oxygen (O) during its use
(combustion or, more commonly, in a fuel cell), generate water (H2O).“These conditions –
explains Professor Abbotto – are sufficient to take on the environmental emergency,
something we can no longer postpone.” Hydrocarbons, on the other hand, are made up of
carbon and hydrogen and, during combustion, when combined with oxygen, produce carbon
dioxide (CO2) and other waste that is harmful to the environment and to human health
(nitrogen and sulphur oxides).

Hydrogen is obtained through electrolysis of water, a simple method in which a low voltage

current flows through water to form oxygen and hydrogen gas. Hydrogen defined as green is
the only sustainable hydrogen because it is obtained through electrolysis of water powered by
electricity produced from renewable sources. Grey hydrogen, on the other hand, uses fossil
fuel sources, mainly natural gas, which produce greenhouse-gas emissions, thereby
undermining its zero impact on the environment.

2. It uses more efficient technology

The combustion engine, launched in the middle of the 19th Century and never abandoned
since, allows the car to move thanks to the combustion between fuel and air which is
converted into thermal energy and in turn into mechanical energy. In almost 200 years this
engine has reached its maximum performance and optimisation and is today no longer
sustainable due to the strong environmental impact of the waste produced.
 
On the contrary, the hydrogen combustion engine uses technology which stands out for the
absence of any harmful emissions. Its main use, however, is not in the combustion engine but
in a fuel cell, developed for space exploration since the 1960s, whereby an electrochemical
process combines hydrogen and oxygen to generate electrical energy, which in turn powers
an efficient electric engine.

The petrol engine uses only 20/25 % of the energy introduced and consequently 75/80% of
the fuel is dispersed, producing heat. This is why, for example, you cannot touch an engine
without getting burnt. These figures are not very well known, but they indicate how
inefficient the combustion engine powered by petrol or diesel is. “We had so much energy
that we could afford the luxury of wasting it and extracting crude oil was so cheap, but now
that it is running out and that all the related environmental issues can no longer be ignored,
something will have to change,” explains Professor Abbotto.

In the electric engine, the percentages are entirely reversed. 80% corresponds to the energy
used and only 20% corresponds to the energy dispersed. However, hydrogen is not
immediately and directly exploited within a car engine because it must first be converted into
electrical energy to power the engine. “This passage consumes 50% of the energy and so this
80% is halved, reducing the amount of energy used to 40% which is, however, twice as much
as that of a petrol engine. With the studies and experiments already under way, it is assumed
that this percentage can be significantly increased, while that of the petrol/diesel engine can
no longer be further optimised”, adds Abbotto.

3. It is convenient for heavy transport and trains

Hydrogen propulsion is not yet widespread today and one of the sectors for which it could be
convenient from the outset is heavy-duty transport or trains. These are means of transport
which, if they were to be supplied with electric batteries as an alternative to the combustion
engine, would require enormous, heavy batteries with extremely long charging times. On the
contrary, hydrogen offers the advantages of a more compact propulsion system, with rapid
refuelling times and a long travel range, which can be powered at charging docks located
along the motorways most travelled by HGV fleets, without the creation of a capillary
distribution network, or along the railway lines at all the main stations.
 
In Asia (South Korea) some industrial vehicle manufacturers offer a “turnkey service” by
providing HGVs for goods haulage and guaranteeing the distribution network of green
hydrogen. “It is easier for heavy goods vehicle manufacturers to do this than for car
manufacturers because the HGVs travel along standardised routes and the rail haulage is
organised in a very similar way,” Abbotto explains.

Almost 50% of railway lines in Europe are not electrified to date. There are many routes in
Europe where an aerial power line is just impossible, so the trains are powered by diesel, a
highly polluting fuel. Hydrogen would solve both the problem of lack of electricity and the
emission of pollutants. In Valcamonica, for instance, the 104 km-long Brescia-Iseo-Edolo
railway line will be served by hydrogen trains from the beginning of 2024, while Germany
has had a zero-impact hydrogen line since 2018.

The disadvantages of using hydrogen as fuel 

1. If it is “grey”, it pollutes

If it is not produced using renewable sources, hydrogen pollutes. To date, more than 96% of
the hydrogen used is grey. It costs less, but its impact on the environment is so great that 10
kilos of carbon dioxide are produced for every kilo of hydrogen obtained. World hydrogen
production is about 70/75 million tonnes, with a waste of almost 1 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide. “The biggest challenge is to produce clean hydrogen at an affordable cost,” Abbotto
says.
The spread of green hydrogen can go hand in hand with the increase in electricity production
from clean sources. “And the good news is that by 2030, 70% of electricity production will
have to be generated from renewable sources,” Abbotto explains.
2. It is a gas that is difficult to handle

Pouring petrol into a tank is quick and easy, just as it is hooking up the cable to recharge the
battery of an electric car. Hydrogen, on the other hand, is a difficult gas to handle because,
having a low volumetric energy density, it has to be highly compressed at high pressures
(from 350 to 700 bar) to be packed into a tank in sufficient quantities to power a car. 5/6 kg
of hydrogen are required to cover about 600 km. In a car’s tank, if it were not compressed,
there would be enough hydrogen to cover just 5 km.

Another difficulty lies in transport, in other words, how to carry hydrogen to the refuelling
stations to supply travelling cars. Here, the first problem consists in the fact that in order to be
distributed, special pipelines are necessary because those intended for methane and natural
gas are not fully compatible, unless natural gas-hydrogen mixtures with a low hydrogen
content are used. The alternative would be to carry it in liquid state, like oil derivatives, but
the liquid state of hydrogen is reached at a temperature of -253 degrees Centigrade, with
heavy energy expenditure to transform it and then keep it in the liquid form. “At present, and
in most cases of industrial use, hydrogen is produced in the same place as it is used,” Abbotto
explains.
 
There are a few hydrogen pipelines but they extend for just a few thousand kilometres all
over the world. Building an entire network of hydrogen distributors for automotive transport
involves considerable costs and delays. Germany holds the leading position for distribution,
with almost 100 stations, a number that is constantly rising; they are located along the
motorway arteries, making it possible to travel within the country. In Paris, hydrogen is
produced locally, allowing a taxi network to run efficiently with the aim of having half the
fleet powered by hydrogen by 2024. In Italy there is just one station for cars on the Brenner
motorway in Bolzano Sud. Here, hydrogen is locally sourced from the hydroelectric power
produced by the mountains. 

3. It is less advantageous than electric power for cars

The battery-powered electric motor is now the most efficient system because it converts 80%
of the electricity in the battery into energy. What’s more, it is currently cheaper to charge an
electric car than to refill on hydrogen. “Grey hydrogen costs $1-2 per kg, while green
hydrogen costs $5-7 per kg” Abbotto explains. If the “green” advantage of using hydrogen is
preserved also during the production stage, refilling a car must only involve green hydrogen.
And suppliers sell green hydrogen at a price of around €14 per kg, which can fall to €9 per kg
where infrastructure is more developed such as in Germany.
 
But the hydrogen engine still remains much more efficient than a conventional petrol/diesel
engine. Diesel offers a small financial advantage over hydrogen, but the enormous
environmental benefits would offset the higher cost. One thing is certain: hydrogen is less
beneficial for light road transport compared to electric power from renewable sources. The
environmental benefits are the same, but the cost of refuelling and the availability of a
network for charging are better.