Pros & Cons of Hydrogen Fuel Cars

Hydrogen fuel cells may replace gasoline as a fuel in the near future. Using hydrogen will also break the dependence on costly and dirty fossil fuels. While hydrogen-powered cars may have many benefits, there are many other drawbacks that must be taken into consideration at this time.

Pro: Cleanliness

Hydrogen-powered cars will only produce water, rather than pollutants, as a byproduct.

Pro: Efficiency

Up to 90 percent of the energy produced by the fuel cell in cars can be converted to electrical energy.

Pro: Hydrogen Abundance

Since hydrogen is one of the most common elements found on the planet, it would not be exhausted in the same manner as fossil fuels.

Con: Difficulty of Storage

Hydrogen, due to its highly flammable nature, will be extremely hard to store in a tank within cars, because any slight bump may cause the hydrogen to explode.

Con: Expensive to Make Fuel Cells

The fuel cells used in cars require the use of platinum in order to make it work; however, platinum is relatively rare and expensive.