Hydrogen energy has always been considered as one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources, and many automobile companies are studying and manufacturing hydrogen energy vehicles. However, hydrogen energy vehicles were eventually occupied by the first batch of electric vehicles. Do you know why?
1, raw material cost
Fuel cells and some types of water electrolyzers usually need precious metals such as platinum and iridium as catalysts, which means that the initial cost of fuel cells (and electrolyzers) may be high. This high cost has prevented some people from investing in hydrogen fuel cell technology. In order to make hydrogen fuel cells a viable fuel source for everyone, it is necessary to reduce this cost.
2. The cost and income are seriously out of balance.
It is understood that the cost of building a hydrogenation station with a daily hydrogenation capacity of 500 kg is more than 10, and the annual operation cost is more than 2 million. The calculated cost per kilogram is 14 yuan. If we add the cost of hydrogen production, transportation and 40% tax like gasoline, the cost per kilogram will be above that of 20 yuan.
But according to statistics, the profit of one kilogram is only a dozen dollars. According to the monthly operating cost of 200,000 yuan, 500-700 kilograms of hydrogen must be sold every day to break even.
3. Hydrogen is not safe.
Hydrogen is an extremely active chemical substance, which is prone to chemical reactions. Hydrogen is the substance with the smallest volume energy density and the largest unit energy density, which makes the storage and logistics cost of hydrogen high. At present, all hydrogen storage tanks in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are 350 and 700 kilograms atmospheric pressure and are made of very heavy stainless steel.