Renault’s hydrogen-powered concept car is a fantasy that must be debunked. The concept is to create a c-segment MPV/SUV with a small battery (40 kWh) and a hydrogen fuel cell range extender that can add an additional 500 miles of range with a 15 kW fuel cell. This sounds nice, but the devil is in the details.
At the moment there is no infrastructure for hydrogen filling. You can’t get it when you need it while you travel. But there is usable charging infrastructure in some countries and mediocre in others, both for AC charging for daily needs and DC charging for travel needs. So this car is for at least five, maybe ten years in the future.
In those five years or more, with tens of billions in subsidies, a Europe-wide H2 filling infrastructure could be in the works. At the same time, a very useful European DC charging infrastructure for drivers of electric cars will be created, often financed by commercial parties.
This is only about Europe, because Renault mainly sells to Europe with sales in Africa and Latin America. A large-scale hydrogen infrastructure such as that needed for cars is highly unlikely in those places.
This concept car has a battery of 40 kWh. In five years’ time most motorists will have no problem charging their car at night. For those with on-site charging, this goes without saying. For most public parking spaces, the number of chargers within walking distance will be sufficient for most people. This charging infrastructure is supplemented with charging at shopping centers and workplaces. For trips to places without electricity, rent a large diesel SUV and put a few jerry cans of spare fuel in the trunk.
As mentioned in many discussions, 40 kWh is more than enough for daily use by the vast majority of people. Charging every few days or once a week would be sufficient for their needs. That makes the 500-mile extended range due to expensive hydrogen an option for travel. This extra energy is supplied by a 15 kW fuel cell.
With that kind of range, you shouldn’t be forced to travel at, say, 55 mph. On European highways, 75-80 mph is more common. The Scenic name is the name of Renault’s mid-sized MPV, which may become an SUV. That is not the most economical body style.
Hydrogen tanks for a range of 500 miles require a lot of space. Although this car is big on the outside, it will not be big on the inside, otherwise it would be very big on the outside, which makes this car not the first choice for family holiday travel.
Two of three 53 liter, 700 bar hydrogen tanks providing an EPA range of approximately 350 miles
The 15 kW provided by the fuel cell is barely enough for 55 mph if you have a very efficient, streamlined vehicle. But who knows what another five years of development of electric powertrains may bring. Maybe it’s enough to drive a big, fully loaded MPV at 80 km/h. For trips at 80 mph, which is normal for these trips, with a family and luggage, maybe even a roof box, it will be more than 25kW that the engine consumes.
Now some not so complicated math. With a consumption of 10 kW, the battery is empty after 4 hours of driving. At a speed of 130 km/h, that means a flat battery after 520 km and deceleration to less than 55 km/h (some energy is needed for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter, the two most popular times of the year to travel).
Now we only have a total of 320 miles of range, not an extra 500 miles of range.
In five years, battery technology will be a lot better. The current high prices due to demand outstripping supply, for raw and processed materials as well as for battery cells, cannot last forever. Not in five years, but probably in ten years, battery prices will return to normal, according to the battery technology cost curve.
This cost curve has been in effect for at least the last 20 years with prices averaging just over 14% per year, with prices halving every five years. The cost curve does not look at chemistry. It doesn’t matter if it’s NMC, LFP, Sodium-based or even nanoscale flywheels in the black box. Energy storage costs per kWh are getting lower every year. Scarcity due to calamities or unbalanced supply and demand can disrupt this trend. After a while, the price returns to the normal level.
Ten years from now, the cell price for batteries will likely be around $25/kWh. A 100 kWh battery will be a lot smaller, cheaper and possibly no heavier than this build, with its battery plus giant hydrogen tanks and a fuel cell. A 100 kWh battery will also take you 500 kilometers before it is empty. But a stop to charge every 2.5 to 3 hours (200-240 miles) while using the bathroom and getting some refreshments is smart on long trips. Only if you drive on the German Autobahn at speeds above 100 mph do you need a larger battery.
Now that the business case for this hydrogen dream has really been debunked, what remains is a simple question. What do they think at Renault? Or rather, why don’t they think at Renault?
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