It is all about efficiency these days as automakers race towards electrification of their lineups. All of the world’s largest carmakers are spending billions in an effort to churn out the best electric cars with the most range. Meanwhile some makers are focusing on hydrogen cars. But what about a hydrogen hybrid one?
Renault has had a go at making this with the Scénic Vision. It was unveiled a couple of weeks ago and it had people talking. It is a fresh concept because it is a hydrogen hybrid vehicle as opposed to the regular gasoline hybrid that we’ve been seeing since the Prius. This has a range of 497 miles according to the French company, among other features.
Let’s take a look at what the Scénic Vision Concept has to offer.
Renault’s Scénic Vision Concept
So, what is car about actually? It is a vehicle that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with an electric motor. There will be a hydrogen tank, which will be able to store about 2.5 kilograms of hydrogen. You can fill this up in about 5 minutes. Since this is a fuel cell, it will function by splitting water into its two constituents – hydrogen and oxygen.
The battery pack will have a capacity of 40kWh and the motor itself has a rating of 160kW. Renault are aiming to bring this hydrogen-electric powertrain to the market by the end of the decade. This is a vehicle that comes with zero emissions but that’s not even the end of it. It has an electric range of 497 miles or 800 km.
This car is also more much cleaner than your regular battery electric vehicle. Renault say that its carbon footprint is about 75pc lesser than that of today’s BEVs. Also, it is made from common materials so it is quite sustainable when it comes to material usage. Don’t expect any part shortages as well.
The battery comprises of 60pc less carbon intensity and it’s recyclable. This can be said about the vehicle as well. It is made up of 70pc recycled material, while only 5pc of it is non-recyclable. The car is very light as well. In fact, Renault say that it is about twice as light as its BEV rivals of the same class.
So, yes – this car is a dream for environmentalists. It is a new concept of hydrogen-electric goodness. It will help you save a lot of fuel, it doesn’t pollute the environment, and it is sure to be quite maneuverable. We could be seeing similar concept cars from Renault till 2030 and we can expect them to enter mass production as well.
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What is a hydrogen hybrid car?
We know that there are two types of hydrogen vehicles out there. The first one is the hydrogen fuel cell which can be found in some vehicles and there’s a lot more tech available to facilitate it. The other is the hydrogen combustion engine, which is essentially an internal combustion engine that uses hydrogen instead of gasoline.
In an electric-hydrogen powertrain, the hydrogen engine should combine with an electric motor. The two of them should work in unison to provide the driver with efficiency and thus provide a better range of mileage. Of course, this type of hybrid should be a lot more carbon neutral than a gasoline hybrid.
Renault aiming for an EV lineup
Car companies are spending billions of dollars in research on bring out all-electric lineups. Take Toyota for example, the company has a $13 billion plan to electrify its lineup despite believing in hydrogen’s supremacy. Renault is no slouch though and it has built an alliance with Nissan.
The two have an even more impressive plan of $23 billion which involves bringing a lineup of their very own EVs to the market. These two carmakers have involved Mitsubishi as well. The plan for them is to launch about 30 all-electric vehicles in 5 different vehicle classes and platforms. This should be done till 2030.
Of course, for them it is isn’t just a race to get ahead of the competition and dominate the electric vehicle market. Their main aim is to bring out an affordable fleet of electric vehicles for the masses. Should they be successful, you may be able to buy an electric vehicle for the price of a gasoline vehicle today.
