The goal is clear: to move towards sustainable mobility, drastically reduce the number of emissions and improve air quality. The European Union has set itself the objective of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To do this, it must commit itself to a type of multi-energy transport. On the other hand, manufacturers are also aware of the need to move towards more sustainable mobility and are looking for the best technological solutions. Some of them have opted for vehicles powered by electric batteries, others for the hydrogen fuel cell. Which is the best alternative? The debate is on the table.

According to the study published by the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge, heavy electric vehicles are more efficient than hydrogen vehicles since they reduce the waste of input energy to the maximum, which means that CO2 emissions are minimized. According to the study, the carbon footprint left by hydrogen vehicles is greater than that of electric vehicles. They therefore recommend this technology to the UK government by 2050, the deadline by which it has committed to bringing all its greenhouse gases to net zero. Some manufacturers have opted for this type of energy and have expressed their intention to invest 500 million euros in the installation of 1,700 high-performance green energy recharging points near roads and in logistics and destination points.

However, other vehicle manufacturers differ with this position and have opted for hydrogen vehicles over electric ones. Their arguments are also consistent. In the first place, they affirm that electric vehicles require less recharging time and have greater autonomy since "hydrogen has a high energy content per unit of mass and is easier to store than electricity." On the other hand, in the combustion process of hydrogen cars, only water vapor is released, without emissions from the tailpipe and it has a very high autonomy. In addition, the recharging time of the vehicle is similar to that of the conventional one, unlike the electric one that requires a much longer time.

In Spain, the Council of Ministers approved the Hydrogen Roadmap in October 2020, which sets the goal of reaching 5,000 to 7,000 light and heavy vehicles by 2030 for the transport of goods, between 150 and 200 buses moved with hydrogen and the commissioning of two commercial train lines.

The biggest challenge that both types of vehicles are facing is that of charging infrastructures. There are barely six hydrogenerators in Spain today. Manufacturers are demanding aid for the development of this infrastructure, as well as a reduction in the price of electricity so that the electrolysis process by which water is divided into hydrogen and oxygen is not so expensive. Reconciliation between the public and private sectors is key to moving towards sustainable mobility that adheres to the objectives set for the year 2050.