First ever fuel-cell car-sharing in Germany

Many experts say hydrogen is the fuel of the future, but the gas-powered vehicles have an even bigger chicken-and-egg problem than their electric competitors: too few hydrogen filling stations keep the amount of hydrogen cars down – and vice versa. 

The German industrial gases company Linde is determined to break the impasse: this summer, they're launching the world's first car-sharing service for hyrdrogen cars, writes FastCoExist. The experiment aims to make Germans think more positively about hydrogen as a fuel; in fact, to make them think more about hydrogen at all. 

The new service will be called BeeZero. It will will make 50 Hyundai ix335 Fuel Cell electric vehicles available in Munich. With a range of 600 km, customers are able to use them for relatively long trips, demonstrating the superior range of hydrogen over battery-electric (typically only 160 km on a single charge). Hydrogen cars also charge up faster than battery vehicles; it takes only slightly longer than a standard petrol vehicle. By way of emissions, all they produce is water vapour.

“This is an amazing technology, but it's not developing as fast you would hope. We can't wait for someone else to develop it. We have to take the lead and do it ourselves”, says Sandra Scherb, general manager of BeeZero.

BeeZero customers will be able to rent the cars via an app and keep them as long as they like. They can return the car either with a full tank or an empty one, althoug the latter is more likely: Germany currently counts only 19 hydrogen filling stations.

There are three hydrogen-powered models on the market today: the Hyundai ix35, the Honda FCX Clarity and the Toyota Mirai. Mercedes and Audi have announced they will also build new hydrogen models.

Image: BeeZero