The problem with hydrogen is the low density makes it difficult to store in a reasonable size volume. The energy needed to compress or liquefy is a significant fraction of the useful energy available. Perhaps some enterprising entity could develop a means for recovering energy from expanding compressed hydrogen - it may be useful for cooling. Current battery technology has better round trip efficiency than hydrogen.
FWIW, I did get a ride in hydrogen fuel cell power RAV4 in 2014.
What was your impression?
I rode a hydrogen-powered train in northern Germany, Cuxhaven to Bremerhaven. Smoother and quieter than the diesel-hydraulic previously used there.
Very similar to riding a battery electric car. IIRC, the propulsion system was effectively a hybrid with batteries to provide short term power bursts.
I thought it was a battery car, like the Coradia iLINT, with the fuel cell charging the traction battery as in the old Tripower locomotives.
My recollection was that the fuel cell in the RAV4 had enough power to keep the car running at highway speeds. This took place when a couple of co-workers and I were using a ZEVNET electric car to get from the Irvine station to the office in Santa Ana. The car we used the most was an IQ with 35 to 40 miles of range.
The now d/c’d BMW i3 used a petrol range extender engine to recharge the battery, which had a range of 120 miles or so. A friend has one, nifty car with a carbon fiber body.
The IQ’s were pure electric - ZEVNET had more than a quarter of the electric IQ’s made. They were adequate for providing transportation between the station and nearby office or campus. Getting 4 people into an IQ was a challenge.
Toyota IQ
Only a 12kwh battery so range was only 50 miles
Then there was this…
Europeans thought they would sell 4000 a year at £30,000 each. Unsurprisingly to me, that did not come to pass, although they did make one in 2018 with the 289-cubic-inch V8 in it.
The 50 mile range was for low speed driving, the route I was using involved 8 miles each way on the I-405 carpool lane, where traffic was flowing close to top speed of the IQ. I found the “The design accommodates four occupants” to be amusing based on my experience with four people in an IQ. Normal position for the driver’s seat for me left zero legroom behind me.
Having said that, the IQ was an adequate solution for the “last 10 mile” problem with commuting by rail.
An ‘adequate solution’ for last 10 miles in Southern California would need a more adequate battery. A much more adequate battery, and ready access to emergency charge if caught in traffic…
As you can tell from the name, the iQ was their answer to the ‘Smart Car’, another colossally ill-suited ‘design’ for most North American use.
A ‘four-seat’ car for these purposes needs to be a four-door car. Something intended to ‘carpool’ the last 10 miles from a train had better be more than a husband driven to the kiss 'n ride by his POSSLQ.