The solution for electric mobility is the fuel cell, we have heard again and again for decades. The fuel remains its disadvantage.
Almost every electric car gets its driving power from a battery. However, there is an alternative with the hydrogen fuel cell that solves two problems of the e-mobile in particular: range and charging times. So far, however, it has not been able to prevail for good reasons.
The fuel cell generates its energy by reacting hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen, the only waste product being distilled water. How effective the reaction of H2 and O2 is is something that chemistry students still know from the oxyhydrogen test in class. In the fuel cell, however, there is no thermal energy from the sudden combustion. Instead, roughly comparable electrochemical processes create a flow of electrons that can be used to operate an electric motor. Apart from the fuel cell, the hydrogen car is therefore a completely normal e-mobile.
Unlike a battery, the fuel cell does not have to be charged at the socket for a long time. Instead, a hydrogen tank is simply filled, which means that the stop at the pump is not much longer than with gasoline or diesel vehicles. Because large tanks are possible at manageable costs at the same time, the range per refueling stop is relatively large. Both together ensure a high level of long-distance suitability. Some car manufacturers, especially Toyota and Hyundai, see the fuel cell as superior to the battery, at least in the touring car. And it could also establish itself in trucks, ships and airplanes in the future.
However, there are also general problems: Hydrogen is only a clean energy source if it is produced with the help of renewable energy. First of all, this is rarely the case at the moment and secondly, it is relatively inefficient, since much more wind or solar energy has to be invested than comes out later in the form of kinetic energy. In addition, a petrol station and transport infrastructure is largely lacking, which will make it difficult to use in cars for the foreseeable future.