Volkswagen rules out hydrogen cars, will focus on electric cars

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Volkswagen will no longer produce hydrogen-fueled passenger cars for the foreseeable future. Instead, the German auto giant will focus on further developing electric vehicles, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schafer claimed in an interaction with AutoBild Spain. Hydrogen has some big disadvantages as a vehicle fuel compared to the battery technology used in electric vehicles, he said.

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Updated on:
February 1, 2023 at 17:09 pm

Volkswagen wants to focus on electric vehicles rather than hydrogen as an alternative powertrain technology.
Volkswagen wants to focus on electric vehicles rather than hydrogen as an alternative powertrain technology.

Citing this reason, he further stated that hydrogen fuel cell technology is not for the masses, at least not for the next decade. “It’s not competitive, especially for passenger cars where the fuel tank takes up room in the cabin. Maybe for commercial vehicles, but not for passenger cars. So, I don’t think that’s going to happen this decade . Not at Volkswagen,” Schaeffer said.

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Volkswagen’s CEO sees a bigger growth opportunity in pure electric vehicles as more and more customers look to switch from internal combustion engine-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, with overall global sales set to drop 7% in 2022, but the numbers are impressive on the electric vehicle front.

Interestingly, the German automaker’s CEO’s comments come at a time when several global auto giants, including Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and BMW, are exploring hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative powertrain technology. These automakers are investing heavily in the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. In fact, auto brands such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda have launched their vehicles in this segment. BMW introduced the X5 with the technology. These don’t seem to bother Volkswagen, however, as it aims to live by its own principles.

Interestingly, hydrogen is considered a purely zero-emission fuel, as its only tailpipe emission is water. The main disadvantages of this technical infrastructure are the high cost and the lack of infrastructure to support it.

First published date: February 1, 2023 at 17:09 PM USST

https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto/electric-vehicles/volkswagen-rules-out-hydrogen-cars-will-focus-on-evs-instead-41675240803321.html

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