On Thursday, 15 August 2019 11:12:05 UTC+1, John Rumm wrote:

You seem to be confusing engine efficiency with complete fuel cycle
efficiency.

Petrol efficiency when you look at the whole oil extraction, refining,
distribution cycle, in addition to the engine efficiency is around only
15%, and hydrogen full cycle efficiency is ~25%.

Of course that misses the key point that efficiency does not actually
matter anyway - objectively, both are crap, but it has never hindered
use of petrol.

To real people, what matters is the whole ownership experience. They are
used to a world where you stop at a petrol station, spend 5 mins
refuelling and get another 300 miles of range or better. That is an
experience that fuel cell systems could match with appropriate
infrastructure.

Refineries could be eliminated from the vehicle fuel cycle. Engines have most of what they need to produce their own fuel from light sweet crude as they run. There are also IC engines that can run on LSC, so starting on it doesn't seem undoable. Maybe in future cars will drop the leftover tar into potholes as they go


NT