And no conversation of hydrogen power would be complete without a mention that this is the most abundant element in the universe – so we can move on now. Lastly, refueling times are comparable to gasoline cars, obviating range anxiety and lengthy charging stops. They boast the performance and instant torque of battery electric cars, while providing greater range than any pure EV on the market today. Hydrogen vehicles are basically electric cars with a fuel tank. It is a clean fuel with no harmful tailpipe emissions (unless you are harmed by water and oxygen. The promises of hydrogen are convincing indeed. How did we get here, and is hydrogen a lost cause? A different kind of gas Heading into 2020, the primacy of battery electric vehicles as our propulsion future seems absolute, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles seem to be nothing but a diversion. Currently, there are three hydrogen fuel cell cars available for lease or purchase: The Toyota Mirai, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, and the Hyundai NEXO. The Japanese automakers in particular have always been major proponents of hydrogen fuel as the perfect replacement for gasoline and diesel fuels, and as late as 2006 Ford and GM were debuting hydrogen car concepts, with BMW carrying the torch up to 2015. Expert punditry was split on which alternative would emerge triumphant and save us all from our fossil-fuel overlords. Just a few short years ago, hydrogen and battery electric vehicles were both excitedly vying to become the future of the automobile.