Saying goodbye to petrol and diesel is possible. Bolzano, the HyFIVE project: one year on, we went back to see how the first Italian motorists who chose a hydrogen car are getting on.
It was the summer of 2014 when, in Bolzano, as part of the HyFIVE (Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles) project, the first hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35s were delivered. Managing the project (and the car rental scheme) was the iiT, the Istituto per Innovazioni Tecnologiche, the same organisation that last June inaugurated the first hydrogen production centre in Italy in Bolzano Sud.
Almost a year on, we returned to the South Tyrolean city, on the occasion of Klimamobility, to meet the first "early adopters" — the pioneer motorists who decided to take out a long-term lease on a hydrogen car, among the first in Europe able to describe what it is like to drive, day in day out, a car that leaves nothing behind but a trail of water vapour.
They are private individuals and companies who chose a Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell (while waiting for the Toyota Mirai, currently the only hydrogen car available in Italy) as their everyday vehicle. They did not buy it — the estimated purchase price would be in excess of 60,000 euros — but leased it, choosing between short-term arrangements designed for private users (from 870 euros per month) or long-term packages (from 1,100 to 1,800 euros per month, depending on the length of the rental period).
Hydrogen still has a long road ahead of it, and if you ask Elon Musk, Mr Tesla, it won't get very far at all (see here). It will take years to get an answer. In the meantime, we interviewed the Italian pioneers of hydrogen driving — the people who have already decided today to say goodbye to petrol and diesel.
"We use the car both as a family and for work, covering up to 1,500 km a month, and I find that compared to a 'normal' car it makes less noise and offers a spectacular driving feel. The purchase price is acceptable for a company; to stay at the cutting edge, you have to invest in new technologies. For a private individual, some form of state financial incentive would be needed, given that you are making a contribution to the environment."
"Safety? The hydrogen tank can't even be punctured with a rifle shot; a screwdriver is enough for a petrol tank. Even the German TÜV has established that fuel cell cars are safer than petrol ones. On costs I am very optimistic — I have direct contacts with the major car manufacturers, and within 5 years all the main producers will be bringing fuel cell models to market, and then the price will come down, reaching that of a hybrid diesel."
"We average 1,000 kilometres a month. Using it requires very careful management, especially when it comes to refuelling. Driving style also has a significant effect on hydrogen consumption. We have other diesel cars in the company fleet, and the difference you notice straight away is the silence while driving."
"The reasons for choosing it are primarily the low environmental impact and the stimulus it gives to the development of alternative technologies and energy sources. As for the car itself, among its merits I would put quietness and acceleration. A drawback? Certainly the purchase price, which is high today — you have to wait for costs to become competitive on the market."
"Why a hydrogen car? We are a leading company in the tourism sector and we want to be credible not only in what we propose as ideas but also in what we do as a company — for us, sustainability is a strategic issue. Of course, the difficulty of refuelling with hydrogen is a limitation today, but you just need to plan your journeys better."
"The satisfaction of refuelling with hydrogen that's fresh from that very day, knowing it was produced using photovoltaic energy, that there are no pipelines, tankers, oil tankers, wells or drills involved, that the only substance the car emits is water vapour… it's a fantastic feeling that I would recommend everyone try."
Sergio Fedele
"Hydrogen dangerous? It doesn't worry me. It's much lighter than air; in the event of a leak it disperses rapidly, whereas petrol or diesel run along the ground and encourage the spread of any fire that might break out. Paradoxically, a hydrogen car can be less dangerous than a conventional one."
"Let's be honest, for a private individual it is a demanding price, as is the scarcity of hydrogen filling stations and certain preconceptions. The story is different for a company like Autostrada del Brennero, which invests in research and believes in a zero-emissions future for transport. The car? Planted firmly on the road, yet at the same time responsive and agile. The boot struck me as fairly spacious, with a flat floor: the hydrogen cylinder stays well hidden beneath the load floor."
"We chose a twelve-month rental period to get to know the car better. Impressions? Smooth, quiet and pleasant to drive. One small blemish: the battery for energy recovery is too small. You asked us whether we would buy one. The price of a hydrogen car depends on how many are produced. But the production of a fuel cell and an electric motor is simpler than that of a petrol engine, and assembly is easier to automate. If a car like this also had an electric-only range of at least 50 km, we would consider buying one."