Volkswagen has announced that it will phase out hydrogen cars and focus on developing more electric vehicles. CEO Thomas Schaefer made the announcement in a press conference with Autobild Spain. He also said that fuel-based vehicles are a big loss compared to vehicle batteries.
By stating That’s because hydrogen fuel cell technology won’t be for Volkswagen for at least the next ten years, he said. “It’s not competitive, especially not for passenger cars, tanks take up space in the cabin. Maybe for commercial vehicles, but not in the passenger car. So, I don’t see that happening in this decade. Not at Volkswagen,” Shafer said. Volkswagen’s CEO sees more growth potential in pure electric vehicles And as more customers want to switch from internal-combustion-engine-powered cars to electric vehicles, total global sales will drop by seven percent in 2022, but dramatically so. Numbers on the front of the EV.
Interestingly, the German automaker’s CEO’s comments come at a time when several global automakers such as Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and BMW are exploring hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative powertrain technology. These automakers are investing huge amounts of money in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Electric vehicles
These automakers are investing huge amounts of money in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. In fact, car brands like Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda have launched their own cars in the segment. BMW has released the X5 with the technology. However, these do not seem to bother Volkswagen, which aims to follow its own principles. Interestingly, hydrogen is considered a clean zero emission fuel as its only tailpipe emission is water. The main drawback of this technology is the high cost of infrastructure and the lack of infrastructure to support it.
Honda sold the Clarity Fuel Cell, Hyundai has the Nexo Fuel Cell, BMW released some prototype X5s with fuel cell technology, and Toyota has the Mirai and is exploring the segment further after revealing the Corolla Cross H2 Concept in late 2022. Sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs or FCVs) have struggled in the United States over the past decade, with just 2,707 units sold in 2022 and fewer than 15,000 FCVs in customer hands over the past 11 years. Compare that to VW’s sales of the ID.4 EV, which topped 20,000 units in the U.S. last year, and the German executive’s comments seem to make sense, at least in terms of sales.
