It's interesting the derision Hydrogen attracts amongst those same people who are so sensitive regarding any criticism at all of EVs. I think it is obvious that very brief refuelling stops appeal to those who cannot easily charge at home, or like to go on long journeys - and this sector of the market will have to be catered for if the 100% conversion to EVs that politicians seem to advocate is to be achieved. As for the maturity of hydrogen, it is hardly a surprise it is so far behind Lithium EVs when one considers the level of subsidy that the latter has received.
There are pros and cons of all vehicle types, and therefore my view has always been that the 100% EV model is the wrong target, I agree with those like Toyota who advocate a mix of solutions. Recent coverage suggests they may be on to something. I think our politicians are stupid enough to keep gunning for 100% EV though. Labours current policy (I think, unless I have missed the latest U turn) is to reinstate the UK only 2030 ban on ICE car sales, taking us out of step with the rest of Europe. That's obviously an absurd stance.
https://fortune.com/2024/02/08/toyota-hybrid-vehicles-carmakers-strategy-electric-vehicles-hype/
Finally, I think when a solution for HGVs, far, equipment etc is delivered that tech (whatever it is) could end up permeating the car market.
My problem with hydrogen is that it solves one problem with EVs - fast refuelling at dedicated locations - at the expense of pretty much every other aspect.
Just the economics of it don't seem to add up. From power generation to the wheels of your car, hydrogen is less than half as efficient. So assuming you have a hydrogen pump and a supercharger next to each other, the hydrogen is going to be at least double the cost per mile. I say at least, because a super charger costs in the tens of thousands of pounds range to install, whereas the hydrogen pump costs over a million.
Hydrogen had billions of dollars chucked at it in the US in the 2000s before anyone had shown that EVs could work for anything with more performance than a milk float, so it was given a chance. Perhaps the money just came at the wrong time, but I think more than that the problem was that the transition was too hard to make.
That's not to say I think it has no use. I think that it could well be used for HGVs, buses, small generators, excess power storage, but I think there's a reason there's no 'Hydrogen Cars' thread on this forum.