Loses the fuel cell against the Methanol engine

There is a dfifference between sending some huamns to the moon or to develop a car for a sales woman with 1000.-EUR minimum wage. A cost anaylsis of the fuel cell.

The other way to the hydrogen age

The other way is to stretch biomass by hydrogen to produce Methanol. Reputated sources develop an ICE internal combustion engine with generator reaching 40% electric efficiency.

2800 kg wood is cheaper

Let's look on a medium sized car like the Opel Flextreme over 300,000 km usage Let's assume there are enough batteries to drive 80% of all km electric only. For the remaining 20% Methanol or hydrogen with fuel cell.

2 C10H14O7 + 28H2 + 3O2 --> 20 CH3OH
1kg tr. Holz + 115g H2 (~1,3m³) + 0,14m³ O2 --> 1,65l Methanol

With 13.5 kWh/100 km direct at the generator with 40% efficiency, 33,75 kWh chemical energy for 100km. This are 7,67 litre Methanol or 4,65 kg dry wood and the energy necessary for the conversion to Methanol. This is about the same energy as for electrolysis, liquification and compression at hydrogen.

But a plug-in hybrid drives most of the time electric. So wood is only used for 60,000 of the 300,000 km. Here is 2800 kg wood, a simple internal combustion engine, a simple tank on one side and all the problems of hydrogen and fuel cells on the other.