Owner of both a hydrogen powered Toyota Mirai and EV Tesla Model 3 fills them both up and compares the costs
- This guy owns both a hydrogen car and a battery-powered EV
- He uses both his hydrogen Toyota Mirai and his Tesla Model 3 quite regularly
- He compares the costs, and the result is surprising
Published on Oct 28, 2024 at 1:11 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Oct 29, 2024 at 4:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
There aren’t that many, but some people do own and run both a hydrogen car such as the Toyota Mirai and an EV such as the Tesla Model 3
One of these rare unicorns, a guy called Dennis, owns both a Mirai and a Model 3, and he uses both quite frequently.
This means he knows what it’s like to run both an EV and a hydrogen car on a regular basis.
For the most part, his experience confirms what a lot of people think of hydrogen cars.
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Toyota Mirai vs Tesla Model 3
In the video he uploaded to his YouTube channel, DennisCW, this guy confirms that ‘charging’ a hydrogen car is cheaper than gas and just as fast, but still more expensive than an EV.
He also confirms that hydrogen charging points are few and far between and, in his own words, ‘finicky’.
As other YouTubers have shown, charging a hydrogen car takes a few minutes, the same as filling up a tank with gas or diesel.
But it’s not always that convenient.
Another Toyota Mirai owner said $90 at the ‘pump’ only got him 176 miles.
The biggest advantage of a hydrogen car
Hydrogen cars, with exceptions, are electric cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries, which is why they’re also known as FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).
FCEVs take minutes to fill up, just like a gas car, and that’s the biggest advantage when compared to EVs.
The problem is that storing hydrogen and converting it into usable fuel is complicated and expensive.
This explains why the charging infrastructure is insufficient and why hydrogen cars are not common at all.
Several automakers are working on hydrogen cars, the hydrogen-powered Toyota Hilux concept or the amazing Hyperion hypercar spring to mind.
Not to mention the upcoming N 74 supercar made by Hyundai.
But, at the time of writing, there are only four production FCEVs you can go out and buy right now.
Those are the Honda CR-V e:FCEV, the Hyundai Nexo, the BMW iX Hydrogen and the Toyota Mirai.
