Using hydrogen to power vehicles isn't exactly a new concept, with General Motors having crafted the Electrovan that used a hydrogen fuel cell as far back as 1966. Given it essentially harnesses the power of water, with this being the only product out of the exhaust, you would think it would have caught on before electric propulsion. There are several reasons this hasn't been the case. Hydrogen gas costs much more to buy for consumers than gas or electricity, with it costing around 50¢ a mile, while charge-at-home electricity costs around 15¢ a mile. As a result of the sheer cost of developing hydrogen vehicles, and the lack of investment coming from the world's governments in favor of further EV infrastructure development, most auto brands around the world have tended to spend their time and money developing electric vehicles. While around 196,000 retail gas stations are dotted around the United States, there are just 61,000 EV charging stations. There are even fewer hydrogen-filling facilities, with just 54 in the U.S., all located in California. The lack of hydrogen infrastructure development has also infuriated buyers of hydrogen vehicles. In 2024, a group of hydrogen car owners filed a class action lawsuit against Toyota for misrepresenting the benefits of the vehicle. They were also angry with the state of California, as only 54 of the scheduled 200 hydrogen filling stations have been built as of 2025. The cost of the fuel has also doubled in recent years, making it uneconomical compared to standard gas or electric vehicles. Cost, and cost alone, seems to be the reason why the U.S. will probably never see mass production of hydrogen-powered cars.
