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CAElite t1_j54uldn wrote

Reply to comment by Taxoro in The race to make diesel engines run on hydrogen by FDuquesne

JCB actually go fairly deeply in depth about this https://youtu.be/bfS012FC8yM

Essentially batteries just aren’t viable within the usage scenario & weight requirements of plant equipment. As well as the capital expenditure.

The capital expenditure for fuel cells just doesn’t work in the current market.

On site hydrogen production works well with many site power grids and JCB project it being fairly plentiful in the future.

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Tostino t1_j553mkl wrote

Right. I tried to source a fuel cell for a project just to see how practical it would be...no fucking way at the moment. It's ~40-60k to get a reasonable amount of power out of them right now.

A simple 1kw fuel cell is sitting at like ~6k.

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CAElite t1_j55nc06 wrote

Yeah, in the video I linked he actually goes into the life cycle costs, fuel cells & batteries just don’t make sense in their current state vs hydrogen combustion, even if it is some 30-40% less efficient.

Personally I can see this carrying forward into other alternative fuel situations such as transportation, with budget & enthusiast markets, where efficiency plays second fiddle to cap ex or method of operation, alternative/carbon free fuel (hydrogen ultimately) ICE is here to stay.

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