Zero Car Tour Interview.
Riversimple have been operating for over 20 years and have never delivered even a single car to a paying customer.

"It's easier to move hydrogen then electricity" is laughable. Electrical resistance is nothing compared to rolling resistance and wind resistance.
You also can't make hydrogen at home. Not much loss from your roof to your car.

Nearly half of people knew that 10 years ago.

What is the advantage of hydrogen internal combustion over a fuel cell in a bus?

Lower up-front cost
No PGMs

But:
Same expensive fuel
Same expensive tanks
Same expensive fuel infrastructure
Same limited range
Similar maintenance cost

And:
Lower km per kg
More NOx

Is it a gamechanger?
No.

Holger, can I lend you an envelope? On the back of it you could do the calculations required to show how much it would cost. You would never post the same thing again, I promise!

It's a genuine question. There is no truly stranded renewable energy - where it is claimed there is, we should be building HVDC cables. Even if only 50% of the power reaches the other end and is not constrained, that is cheaper and better for the climate than any pathway involving hydrogen!

You’re a “senior technology reporter” and this is your comment?

Blue or turquoise hydrogen. Or direct electrical nitrogen fixing via electro chemical processes, plasma etc. Or do nitrogen fertiliser without ammonia, eg cCM [note: I'm an angel investor]. Or direct biological methods like Pivot Bio. But also, stop over-applying, runoff, etc. Well, you did ask :-)

as @mliebreich.bsky.social put it in May 2025 #HydrogenSoufflé
https://mliebreich.substack.com/p/fifty-years-of-green-hydrogen-in
I don't see it happening, not even it the corners that were supposed strengths
(Long distance trucking eg)

How does it relieve demand on electricity?

Their car is light because it’s a tiny 2 seat prototype runabout with almost no boot. It has none of the basics of an actual production car. So no airbags, no electric windows, not even any heating system. I’m not sure how it’s an example of anything?

Riversimple have been operating for over 20 years and have never delivered even a single car to a paying customer. That’s not exactly a shining example for hydrogen FCEV cars.

It just struck me as ironic given the substantial losses in using electricity to make hydrogen only to turn it back into electricity again. Then add the high precision, high cost engineering to make, store & use hydrogen & all the frequent & high cost maintenance for same.

Every time there’s a trial #hydrogen is found guilty. They should get better defence attorneys! 😁

The pure irony of having both hydrogen and thermodynamics in his bio! 🙃