Martin Gurdon

Hydrogen vs electric – which car is the better investment?

  • From Spectator Life

Does the future of motoring really lie in electric cars?

Battery powered motors are now commonplace, but a few intrepid British drivers have gone for hydrogen fuel cell models instead. They currently have two choices. The £69,495 Hyundai Nexo (28 sales) and the £55k plus Toyota Mirai (about 200 owners including James May), so they’re hardly cheap. Eventually there will be more, including a BMW X5 4×4 due to be launched later in 2022. Jaguar Land Rover is also said to be looking at the technology for its heftier offerings.

These cars take minutes to re-fuel, go further between top ups and, unlike battery cars, aren’t adversely affected mileage-wise by cold weather. The only thing they emit is water vapour.

Ex-lawyer Jonny Goldstone runs 65 fuel cell Toyota Mirais and 150 fully electric VW ID.3s, which isn’t as excessive as it sounds when you discover that he co-owns Green Tomato Cars, a London-based, ‘environmentally friendly’ taxi service.

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