Daily life

Thanks to the neighbouring station in Weiterstadt, the daily routine is completely trouble-free and almost identical to that of a conventional car. With a remaining range of about 70km, we plan the next refueling stop. Even if the station should not be in operation, we make it without problems to Frankfurt where there are 4 stations to choose from. So far, it has happened once or twice that a station did not work properly. However, the H2 Mobility hotline has always helped me so far.

Long distance

FCEVs are ideal for long distances. Unlike pure battery electric cars, hydrogen cars can be refueled very quickly and have longer ranges overall. Since my family lives in Dresden and I regularly drive this approx. 500km route, the FCEV is the only emission-free alternative for me. There are now so many refueling stations in Germany that even secondary routes are available in case important key refueling stations are not in operation. 

A fuel cell car is also very long-lasting. The fuel cell can easily achieve a mileage of 300,000km. So you don't have to worry about too many kilometers on the clock.

Vacation

In the last 1.5 years we have already undertaken one or the other short trip, but also a beach vacation in Holland. The hydrogen network is not only well developed in Germany, but also in other countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands. The H2 Live app also shows refueling stations abroad, but this data is not as reliable as the German refueling points. It takes a bit of research on the internet to really get a solid overview of the number, operators, and status of H2 stations in the destination country, but that's just part of planning a vacation. For Holland, I noticed that there is no central registry or operator like there is in Germany. So you tend to check out 2-3 different companies. 

But when the route planning was done, everything was quite simple and almost smooth. Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we headed for the selected gas station of Orange Gas. Unfortunately, this was out of service, although the corresponding operator app said otherwise. A call to the hotline didn't help much either. I got slighly nervous, but it was clear that we would definitely make it to the next Shell in Shiphol. After a few meters, I suddenly saw the H2 sign at another Shell in the corner of my eye and to my surprise, here was a brand new gas station that I had not identified at all in advance. 

During our vacation we drove a total of 1000km and realized that Holland is excellently equipped for hydrogen-powered cars. 

My dream would be to drive to Spain with Samy one day. However, this is not possible at the moment, as France and Spain are still very sparsely equipped. Vacations within Germany (North, - Baltic Sea, Bavarian Alps or Black Forest) are however without problems realizable and also popular destinations in Austria, Switzerland, Denmark or even Holland are easy to reach with hydrogen.

Setbacks

"frozen" fuel cell

In February 2021, I wanted to drive to the grocery store as usual. I was able to start the car, but the display showed "Stop vehicle immediatly" and a turtle symbol. Initially, it was not clear to me what this meant and I feared the worst - namely that the fuel cell was damaged. The garage was also unable to help me immediately and offered to pick up the car and check it thoroughly. 

I could not imagine that there would be a defect in the fuel cell from one moment to the next. It could only be related to the weather, which had changed from a mild 10 degrees to -12 degrees in a very short time. My conclusion was confirmed a few days later when the temperatures rose again and the car suddenly started and drove normally. 

In the end, the phenomenon can be explained very easily. The fuel cell produces water vapor when generating electricity, which is emitted through an exhaust. When the car is switched off, water remains in the pipes and in the membranes of the fuel cell. In winter, this water can freeze and block the FC. To avoid this, the car has a mechanism that blows this water out of the system when the car is turned off at low temperatures (4 degrees and below). The sound reminds a loud hair dryer noise and a puddle of water under the car. 

This exact process did not take place when I turned the car off last time, as it was just too warm and then got too cold too quickly. Then when the car defrosted again, the water came off the FC and everything ran normally again. 

Obviously there was a learning curve with the car manufacturers. Newer models like the Nexo or Mirai blow the excess water out of the pipes every time they are turned on (no matter the temperature). Thus, a frozen FC is not possible. 

My direct takeaway from this experience is, that Samy is now always parked in the garage in winter and I pay even more attention to the weather conditions.

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