Electricity, CNG, or Perhaps Hydrogen? Judge for Yourselves!

In this day and age, the impact that transport has on the environment is a widely discussed topic. Though no drive (at least to date) is perfect, each has its pros and cons. To help you form your own opinion, we offer a comprehensive overview of each type of ecological drive and walk you through their main strengths and weaknesses.

Nearly zero operating emissions

Indirect emissions if the car is recharged with energy produced by coal power plants

Technically simple charging at charging stations or from household outlets

Environmental impact of the mining, production and disposal of precious materials required for battery production

Current low costs usually won’t exceed EUR 0.04/km; however, after electric cars are adopted en masse, the electricity price might increase

The electric motor reduces CO₂ emissions compared with conventional cars

More complex technology (combination of two drive systems)

Fuel consumption 15 to 35 per cent lower than with internal combustion engine cars, primarily in city traffic

High purchase cost of some versions

Heavier

Much cheaper than petrol and diesel

Compulsory annual inspection of the fuel system and limited access to indoor parking facilities

Sufficient number of refuelling stations

No significant environmental benefits

Converting a conventional engine to LPG is fairly cheap: it usually costs around one to two thousand euros

Limited range of factory-made cars

Lower engine noise than with internal combustion engines

Raw material dependence on politically unstable countries

Longer life of engine oils

Much lower quantities of dust particles, CO₂ and other pollutants than diesel engines

Limited refuelling infrastructure

Lower noise levels

Limited access to underground parking facilities

More efficient mixing with air, which may improve the car’s power output

Compulsory regular checks of system tightness and pressure tank tests

Low driving costs, as much as 50 per cent lower than with Natural 95 (petrol)

The purchase cost is higher than that of the petrol version

Lower excise tax than other fuels, road tax exemption

Raw material dependence on politically unstable countries

Extensive range of various models – for example, ŠKODA offers the CNG OCTAVIA, which will soon be joined by the SCALA

Low or zero emissions

Technology isn’t advanced enough to be deployed in series production

Infinite sources of hydrogen

No refuelling network

Simple hydrogen/air mixing

Complicated transport – hydrogen is transported in a liquid state at a temperature of -253 °C

Danger of premature fuel mix ignition

The low density of hydrogen requires big fuel tanks

Renewable energy resource

Growing these plants has environmental impacts

If subsidised: cheaper than conventional fuels

2,500 litres of water required to produce 1 litre of bio-fuel

In some cases: lower CO₂ emissions

Their use increases the prices of staple foods

Low efficiency – the energy generated by burning biomass from a certain piece of land is as much as 50 times lower than the amount of energy generated by solar panels installed on a piece of land of the same size

This article was originally published in the ŠKODA Mobil supplement RIDE INTO THE FUTURE^e.