Daimler Chief Thinks EVs Will Beat Hydrogen-Powered Cars

Electric vehicles are definitely gaining some traction (pun intended), all thanks to the efforts of automakers such as Tesla, BMW and Daimler. Speaking of Daimler, chief Dieter Zetsche has recently stated in an interview that EVs are more likely to come out on top in the face of hydrogen fuel cell cars, at least according to his opinion. Even though cars running on hydrogen fuel cells are just as practical and eco-friendly as their electric-powered counterparts, companies have been focusing on the development of EVs more, and it shows. For example, Tesla’s Model S, which is currently available for order, boasts a range of over 528 km (328 miles) and can perform a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3 seconds.

On the other hand, the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Toyota Mirai can go for 300 miles on a single “charge,” which is still respectable. The difference is that electric cars are currently much more popular, and if things don’t change soon, EVs have a good chance to become the new standard in the coming decades. When it comes to mass-producing these cars and retailing them, Germany plans to put 1 million EVs on the streets by 2020, but that’s not going to be easy. One obvious way to do it would be to lean on the government and ask for subsidies, but Zetsche believes that this can’t be considered a long-term solution, which is why he’s putting his faith in even more impressive technological advancements.