Meanwhile, Exxon makes a big bet on hydrogen as the next low-emmissions fuel. EVs are, at best, a transitional phase, much like CFLs were the transition to LEDs.
Hydrogen in a slightly modified diesel engine is nearly as efficient as in a PEM fuelcell both of which can use hydrogen made from sunshine at the residential level. Once high pressure PEM electrolysis cells fall into the $400 to $500 Kg of capacity it’s like having a oil well on the back 40.
Use surplus solar power from a panel set up and bank that sunshine into carbon fiber tanks for use later as electricity.running the PEM stack backwards or blow down a higher pressure tank at 300 bar into a 250 bar vehicle tank and drive with nothing but sunshine and water as raw materials and inputs. Panels can be had in bulk for 18 to 20 cents per watt of capacity.
It takes 52kWh to make a Kg of Hydrogen. That Kg has the energy equivalent LHV to one gallon of gasoline. A polysilicon panel system in sunny Texas should make 1kWh per square meter per day or more. Commercial grade panels have exactly 2 square meters of cells 120 of them total. So a commercial sized 75x45” panel will make 2 kWh per day and a 20,000 watt system will have 45 of those panels covering 968 sq feet roof area less as the panels are tilted at an angle usually equal to the latitude of the install. 90kWh is enough for 1.73 Kg of H2 used in a hybrid sedan getting 60 MPGE enough for 103 miles per day of sunshine....not to shabby for a home based set up. Or...those same 90kWh put into a Tesla model 3 would take it 500 miles at 180wh per mile typical of a Model 3 in mixed driving cycle. Clearly the EV is more efficient why? Physics first law of thermodynamics vs second law machines. Combustion always has to pay the piper and only can use the LHV minus heat losses to Sir Carnot himself. Batteries are electrochemical and only pay Gibbs and Faraday their due.