Majority of Canadians are interested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Study shows that fuel cell vehicles are winning the hearts of Canadian consumers

Many Canadians believe that hydrogen fuel cells, and not batteries, will be the future of the transportation space. Hyundai has released a new study that provides insight into what Canadian consumers want to see from the auto industry. According to the study, which was carried out with the aid of Ipsos Reid and Offsetters, fuel cells have more appeal than batteries to those that are interested in clean transportation.

Majority of consumers believe that fuel cell vehicles will become the primary tool of clean transportation

The study shows that 64% of Canadian consumers have interest in driving a vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells, with 77% of consumers believing that fuel cells will play a larger role in the auto industry than battery technology. Fuel cells may be more efficient for drivers when compared to batteries, as 71% of drivers noted that having to constantly charge a battery electric vehicle was inconvenient. Another 67% claimed that driving conventional electric vehicles where too much trouble to drive.

Favor for fuel cells continues to grow

Interest in fuel cell vehicles has been on the rise for some time. Consumers have shown interest in these vehicles because of their convenient nature and their performance capabilities. Fuel cell vehicles make use of hydrogen in order to produce electricity. These vehicles can be fueled quickly, typically taking less than 3 minutes to fuel completely. Fuel cell vehicles also have a significantly longer range than battery electrics. The problem, however, is that fuel cells are notoriously expensive and the vehicles that use them do not have the support of a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure.

Rising gas prices are helping make fuel cell vehicles more attractive

Hyundai notes that prices for gasoline have been fluctuating wildly over the past year, which may be making consumers more interested in vehicles powered by alternative fuels. The study shows that 74% of Canadian drivers see significant benefit in fuel cell vehicles in terms of cost as they are not reliant on volatile fuel prices.