This webpage demonstrates how you can compute the total cost of operation of different uses of hydrogen including automobiles, larger vehicles such as busses, ships and other vessles. I addess automobiles where battery electric vehicles have become common but hydrogen vehicles are not pervasive as well as heavier vehicles where there is more of an argument for hydrogen. On this page I show calculations with total cost of operation which is essentially the same as the levelised cost calculations made in other pages. The fundamental question about hydrogen relative to batteries is the need for converting electricity to hydtrogen and converting the hydrogen back to electricity whereas for batteries directly use electricity as shown on the diagram below. In this section I work through data from the IEA and others and evaluate whether there are cost strategies that can make hydrogen a reasonable alternative.
In this diagram:
- Is the cost of electricity the same or can you maybe avoid distribution costs for hydrogen
- What is the cost of the electrolyzer plus the fuel cell compared to the cost of a battery
- What are other costs in the car like the added battery in the fuel cell vehicle
- What are added costs of hydrogen like distribution, storage and dispensing relative to dispensing costs of battery vehicles
- What is the value of quick dispensing in the hydrogen vehicles
Start with points one and two and assume that hydrogen distribution strategy is effective and that dispensing costs offset battery charging costs and diffiulties.
An IEA report can be used as a basis for starting the analysis.