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The world’s first internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle is equipped with hydrogen rather than gasoline.
Back in 1807, François Isaac de Rivas used hydrogen-filled barons to power an engine that he developed to propel his experimental vehicles. The first electric cars did not appear through the Flocken Elektrowagen until 1888. And a year later, when Ludwig Mond and Carl Langer demonstrated and patented the technology in 1889, the foundations of the latest hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) arrived.
So, although hydrogen-powered vehicles were theoretically the first to come, the pioneering isn’t necessarily the ultimate final, and after more than a century of passenger cars have grown around the world, HFCVs are lagging behind gas and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). HFCV is primarily regulated by research projects such as projects GM’s 1966 electrovan is widely considered to be the first modern HFCV ever produced. However, some automakers are trying to make HFCV viable despite significant barriers, including a serious shortage of fuel infrastructure, rising prices for vehicles and fuel, and competition with the wave of fuel-fueled electric vehicles, which is more easily priced and richer.
Only available 3 passenger HFCVs
BEV has actually surpassed its petrol fuel rivals With popularity and performance in the early horseless carriage era, and over the past decade, they have emerged again to challenge the dominance of ice cars, allowing dozens of models available from traditional car companies and EV-only startups. By comparison, only three passenger HFCVs are available in the US at present. Toyota Mirai, Hyundai Nexo and Honda CR-V E: FCEV – And everything is sold exclusively in California. The state is a large part of public hydrogen fueling stations.
Other car manufacturers have also tested HFCVs and produced them in a limited number. General Motors has been developing HFCV since 2017-2023 BMW has launched road tests for the fleet of IX5 hydrogen vehicles It uses Toyota Technology. Since 2021, Jaguar Land Rover has experimented with the HFCV concept based on the Land Rover Defender, Ineos Grenadierwith a retro Land Rover defender looking Equipped with an HFCV powertrain The company said it could be produced within two years. 2022, Volkswagen partnered with Craft Worktube to create a new hydrogen fuel cell technology It is said that production is cheap and in theory it can offer a driving range of over 1,200 miles, but has since become quiet on the front of the HFCV. Other automakers, including Mercedes-Benz and more recently Stellantis, have pulled out plugs in their HFCV development program.
While a small number of carmakers continue to put their money into technology, HFCV faces a difficult battle for widespread adoption in the US passenger car market. “Core technology is considered mature, but as most components reach high levels of preparation, there remains a significant barrier, especially in cost and infrastructure. ”
A major lack of fuel infrastructure
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of HFCVs is the strict and limited public fuel infrastructure. It’s the same Problems that plagued early BEVsbut public Charging has increased significantly In addition to increasing vehicle sales, drivers can charge electric vehicles at home. As of June 2025, There are around 74,000 public charging stations online in the United States, most of which compare with over 50 hydrogen fueling stations in California.
Early 2024, Shell announces that it will close seven hydrogen stations in CaliforniaNot only is it a blow to HFCV owners and automakers, but it is also a California-based non-profit hydrogen fuel cell partnership that automakers, fuel providers and government agencies have been established to increase fuel infrastructure. “The idea was to coordinate the OEM efforts with fuel providers,” said Ivor John, hydrogen fuel consultant. After its initial success in California, the program began rolling out nationwide. “When bringing government agencies with OEMs and different providers, the dynamics are very different in each state, so they stumbled.”
According to Sergey Paltsev, a senior research scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative, the challenges of building hydrogen fuel infrastructure include the high costs of hydrogen production, transportation and storage. “To gain traction with consumers, these costs need to be dramatically reduced, or there will be sudden issues with internal combustion engines and electric vehicles, making these established options unattractive,” Paltsev said. “To acquire consumer preferences, hydrogen vehicles come a long way in terms of reducing vehicle and fuel costs.”
As with public EV chargers, HFCV stations are not always operational and available, and these stations require hydrogen to be produced, compacted and delivered, allowing you to potentially add time to refuel. In June 2019, HFCV owners in the San Francisco Bay Area learned how vulnerable the retail hydrogen infrastructure was when an explosion at a chemical plant in the area caused a severe shortage of fuel supply stations. Bay Area HFCV drivers were able to check online reports to access the fuel supply station and fill the tanks, while Toyota and Honda provided free car rentals to affected HFCV owners.
Votortrend has experienced something similar, if not so volatile. Hydrogen fuel polyps Between us Toyota Mirai’s long-term test in 2021. And it’s only gotten worse: early 2025, hundreds California HFCV owners united to sue the automaker and the stateclaiming that they were given false information about the availability of fuel.
High hydrogen fuel prices
In addition to limited availability, HFCVs can be costly to operate compared to charging BEVs or filling tanks with gasoline. Over the year with Mirai in 2021, the prices of hydrogen sold per kilogram (kg) have been relatively stable, with the stations visited being charged between $13.14 and $18.69 per kg. Topping a 5.5kg tank of quarterfull to Mirai usually costs between $45 and $50.
I drove 13,882 miles of Mirai and spent $2,996.37 on hydrogen, which averaged around 21.7 cents/mile. In comparison, we 2020 Hyundai Sonata After driving 17,000 miles, I used $2,746.91 worth of gasoline and paid an average of $3.89 per gallon, or about 16.1 cents/mile. All new Mirai came with a $15,000 prepaid fuel card that works on all hydrogen stations, so there was no need to pay for hydrogen from your pocket. Honda and Hyundai also provide free hydrogen fuel for buyers and borrowers for a limited period of time. If they had to pay after the fuel Freeby ended, they paid more in 2023, as they increased the price from a cost of 13.14/kg for less than three years to 36/kg with True Zero, California’s largest hydrogen supplier.
HFCV costs more
In addition to paying more for the fuel itself, HFCVs are on average higher than their BEV and ICE counterparts. “The cost gap between HFCV and BEV continues to undermine the viability of the former,” Liu said. For example, the 2025 Honda CR-V E:FCEV was developed in collaboration with GM and can be plugged in and charged using the 17.7-KW Battery to provide an additional 29 miles of range over the 241 miles that the fuel cell offers. It starts at $50,000 and ranges in total for 270 miles. 2026 CR-V Hybrid Starting at $35,630, the maximum gasoline/electric range is 590 miles; 2025 Honda Prologue BevAlso, the GM and coded EPA rating range is 308 miles, starting at $47,400.
With the increased availability of BEVs, HFCVs are further decreasing their competitiveness in terms of price. “We’ve seen considerable competition in the electric car market with regard to the various car manufacturers and the models they offer,” says Paltsev of MIT. “It puts downward pressure on the prices of electric vehicles. Therefore, the cost gap between EVs and FCVs is increasing rather than narrowing.” HFCVs are not only overtaken by BEVs, but also face increasing competition with increasing supply of plug-in hybrids, range-extended vehicles and used BEVs.
Sturdy hydrogen-powered vehicle
However, everything is not lost on the front of the hydrogen output. For automakers that cater to their transportation needs beyond passenger cars, HFCV has more practical applications in the rugged and commercial vehicle sector. “In the commercial vehicle space, there is a more diverse refueling strategy emerging, from fast charging and battery replacements to hydrogen fuel cells,” said Omdia’s Li. Toyota, Hyundai and other automakers are working with heavy truck manufacturers and other stakeholders to bring HFCV technology to the logistics industry.
“Both Korea and Japan fit that well,” John said of the promise of commercial use. “There’s no doubt that hydrogen is suitable for a Class 8 semitoctor trailer that can refuel your vehicle in 10-15 minutes.” In addition to its fast refueling times, the HFCV Semis also doesn’t have to carry a large amount of batteries that reduce the maximum cargo capacity and range of the BEV Big Rig. Also, the HFCV makes more sense for a sturdy truck than a passenger car. This is because infrastructure needs to be installed in private depots to stop loading and unloading. Second, more hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles will help promote more public fuel options.
“The expansion of the highway-based hydrogen station could theoretically support fuel cell passenger cars,” Liu said. “However, the use of these stations could be dominated by heavy-duty trucks, not passenger cars.” However, even if this scenario unfolds perfectly, Paltsev believes it will be a long way to the future.
Living in the present future of hydrogen
John is living in the future of hydrogen right now. He is in his second Toyota Mirai, where he has been driving a hydrogen-powered car for about nine years. Of course, it helps to have a hydrogen station about a mile from my home in Santa Barbara, California. He said he couldn’t refuel just twice when he had to go once within a few hours after returning the next day. “I have a reliable five-minute fuel and can drive around 400 miles in Mirai. As long as I know where the next station is, range concerns aren’t the problem,” John said.
However, given Mirai’s limitations, it is not his only mode of transportation. He owns a Nissan Leaf I recently bought it for around town Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in Hybrid For longer trips. “I love Battery Electric for this. The hydrogen vehicle for that, the Rav4 plugin has a 42-mile electrical range. When you go on a trip, you don’t have to worry about finding a charging station,” he said.
It’s hard to imagine HFCV passenger cars being more than the current novelty for a foreseeable future, but John sees opportunities still for the powertrain, especially in the heavy-duty vehicle space mentioned above. “Toyota is very committed to using hydrogen to develop large amounts of vehicle opportunities,” John said. “But I’m not excluding hydrogen vehicles that are coming back as lightweight alternatives. I think we should see where we go.”
Photo by Motortrend Archive, manufacturer. Illustrations by Ryan Lugo
