Tesla’s Elon Musk: Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Vehicles Are ‘Silly’
DETROIT – Speaking in the Motor City on Tuesday, electric carmaker Tesla Motors’ co-founder and CEO Elon Musk again dismissed hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars as irrational, reported MLive. “I just think they’re extremely silly,” he told reporters at Automotive News’ annual World Congress. His comments came on the same day Honda Motor Co. showed off ... Read More »
DETROIT – Speaking in the Motor City on Tuesday, electric carmaker Tesla Motors’ co-founder and CEO Elon Musk again dismissed hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars as irrational, reported MLive.
“I just think they’re extremely silly,” he told reporters at Automotive News’ annual World Congress. His comments came on the same day Honda Motor Co. showed off its latest advancements in hydrogen fuel cell technology with its FCV concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Toyota is also proudly displaying its production model, hydrogen fuel cell-powered Mirai at the show.
Musk argued that hydrogen acts as an energy storage unit, not a source of it, making it impractical for powering vehicles. He called drawing hydrogen from water “an extremely inefficient” process.
“If you’re going to pick an energy storage mechanism, hydrogen is just an extremely dumb one to pick,” Musk said.
He added, “The best-case hydrogen fuel cell case doesn’t win against the current-case batteries. So then obviously it doesn’t make sense. That will become apparent in the next few years. There’s no reason for us to have this debate. I’ve said my piece on this. It will be super obvious as time goes by.”
In addition to co-founding Tesla Motors, Musk, 43, helped launch and is currently the CEO of SpaceX, is chairman of SolarCity, and is a co-founder of PayPal.
He told reporters Tuesday that with Tesla he spends most of his time as an engineer and product architect.
More Industry
Autos More Appealing
Consumers gave new cars better scores again this year for design, performance and more as mass-market brands kept gaining on premium lineups, JD Power found in an annual poll.
Read More →
Used EVs Defy Overall Market
While the used-car market saw three months of price declines or stagnation, the used EV segment did the opposite – rising for three straight months.
Read More →
Trade-Ins in Negative Equity Reach New Heights
As such trade-ins rise in frequency, so do monthly loan payment amounts and interest rates, according to second-quarter data compiled by Edmunds.
Read More →
Gone to the Dogs
A Stellantis brand decided to have some fun with one of its SUVs’ design to address growing emphasis on family pets.
Read More →
OEM Poll Sees Industry Evolution
Kerrigan Advisors’ survey of automakers finds that tariffs, technology, network tightening and other factors are poised to reshape auto retail.
Read More →
Luxe N.C. Dealerships Change Hands
A collection of Italian and English brand franchises were handed off to the owner’s friend in the business and include the Carolinas’ only Ferrari retail stores.
Read More →
Exposure Drives Interest in Chinese Cars
At a recent demonstration, consumers had the chance to ride in a Chinese-branded vehicle, a firsthand experience that improved their perceptions and purchase intent.
Read More →
Automotive Consumers Sink Further in Debt
Most financing metrics hit records in the second quarter as more buyers locked themselves into long terms and high monthly payments.
Read More →
Agent Advocate
Rob Mancuso, who comes from a long line of auto dealers, values general agents’ place in the industry and makes a case for them taking an even bigger seat at the table.
Read More →
Driving Under Distraction
Though consumers gave higher marks to new vehicles in JD Power’s most recent initial-quality poll, high-tech interference worsened, pointing to craving for simplicity.
Read More →