The short answer is yes,  hydrogen fuel is cheaper to produce than petrol. Additionally, the only product of hydrogen fuel is pure water, compared to the harmful CO2 produced by traditional internal combustion engines. Not only is hydrogen better for the environment, but it also delivers up to 3x more energy than petrol. But then the question remains, why aren't we all driving hydrogen-powered cars?

While there are many advantages to using hydrogen cells to fuel our commutes, the disadvantages can sometimes outweigh the positives. Despite hydrogen being the most common chemical element in the universe, it is not naturally available. Unlike fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, hydrogen has to be extracted from other sources using chemical processes.

We can generate hydrogen from the fossil fuels we gather to power our industries and vehicles. However, compared to simply using natural gas in itself as a fuel source, turning it into hydrogen requires us to use more energy, meaning it is simply easier and cheaper to use the natural gas as it is. 

As you may expect, converting water to hydrogen fuel via electrolysis requires using electrical energy. Environmentally, producing hydrogen fuel this way will be healthy and green so long as the electricity used to create the hydrogen produced is generated by renewable energy systems, such as solar or offshore or onshore wind power. 

In early 2020, the UK government announced that they would be gradually phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel cars, with the end date of 2035 set for the complete ban of types of these vehicles. More recent suggestions have hinted that this banning date could be brought forward as soon as 2032, meaning people will have to start looking for a viable alternative means of transport sooner rather than later. 

This is being done to meet international targets for zero-carbon emissions. The ever-changing end dates leave many motorists questioning which alternative green transport options are the most viable for them. While overall new car sales in the UK fell in 2019, reaching their lowest figures since 2013, new electric car registrations have continued to steadily rise during the same period. This demonstrates that alternative power sources for vehicles are becoming increasingly popular.

Another alternative is hydrogen cars. Also known as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the world got its first glimpse of this revolutionary technology back in 2014 when Toyota was one of the early adopters of this technology, producing the first hydrogen-powered vehicle, the Toyota Mirai. Alongside innovations in electric car technology, hydrogen cars presented another way to travel using much greener energy sources, transforming the way we think about the power we use to get around. 

Hydrogen cars are technically powered by an electric motor, but this power source doesn't come directly from an onboard power store like battery electric vehicles. Instead, chemical reactions between hydrogen fuel and oxygen are used to generate the power required to drive your vehicle. Given that the only two ingredients used to create this energy are hydrogen and pure water, the only product of the reaction is H2O. 

Hydrogen-powered cars, therefore, produce zero emissions from their exhausts, compared to the toxic fumes produced during the combustion of fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. Alongside electrical vehicles, hydrogen cars are some of the greenest ways to get around and a fantastic alternative to traditional diesel or petrol cars. 

 The electrical power generated in the hydrogen fuel cell systems can either go straight to the drivetrain to power the vehicle alone or be sent to an onboard battery for storage. These traction batteries hold the electrical energy until needed and are much smaller than those used in fully battery electric cars. The hydrogen fuel itself is kept inside a high-pressure tank that you can refill at a fuel pump or filling station, much like petrol or diesel fuel tanks. These hydrogen vehicles are often referred to as FCEVs, or 'Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles'.