Massive Recall of Hydrogen Cars Because of Explosion Risk.

[NNadir]

This comes from "EcoNews," not that what it discusses about the hydrogen fantasy is correct; one cannot be simultaneously "pro-hydrogen" and pro-environment, since hydrogen is overwhelmingly made using dangerous fossil fuels, coupled with exergy destruction.

This is clear, no matter how many dishonest videos appear claiming that hydrogen is green, usually by juxtaposing pictures of vast landscapes industrialized for solar energy parks with stupid videos of hydrogen vehicles, all of which are dangerous and stupid, since the physical properties of hydrogen are worse than the dangerous fossil fuel from which it is usually made, dangerous natural gas.

In China, however, hydrogen is generally made from coal:

Subsidizing Grid-Based Electrolytic Hydrogen Will Increase Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Coal Dominated Power Systems Liqun Peng, Yang Guo, Shangwei Liu, Gang He, and Denise L. Mauzerall Environmental Science & Technology 2024 58 (12), 5187-5195

The text is clear enough.

From the introductory text:

... Currently, nearly all hydrogen in China is either produced directly from fossil fuels (55% from coal gasification and 14% from steam methane reforming (SMR)) or as a byproduct of petroleum refining (28%), with only 1% coming from water electrolysis. (2) Producing 1 kg of coal- or SMR-based hydrogen emits roughly 19 and 10 kg of CO2, respectively. (3) In 2020, hydrogen production from fossil fuels in China emitted ?322Tg of CO2, equivalent to 25% of total CO2 emissions from industrial processes, a number expected to rise with increasing hydrogen demand. (4) Industrial processes include production of nonmetallic mineral products, chemical, and metal products, as well as production and consumption of halocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. (4)

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The bold, italics and underlining is mine.

EST: Chinese Hydrogen Production Is Making Climate Change Worse.

The consumer hydrogen industry is trivial, as it should be because it's not only wasteful and dirty, but it is dangerous.

There are close to one billion self propelled vehicles on this planet, and a trivial amount of them are Potemkin hydrogen cars, some of which are hyped by people looking to rebrand fossil fuels as "hydrogen," this with exergy destruction. (It is impossible to give a flying fuck about the environment and to push hydrogen.)

It appears that a rather large portion of the hydrogen cars to help along the fossil fuel rebrand have been recalled for the risk of explosion.

This engine at danger from this discovery | Massive recall because of risk of explosion

Some of the text:

The use of hydrogen energy vehicles in the market as an environment-friendly technology has received enthusiasm from people sensitive to the environment worldwide. But recently, in Hyundai’s Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV), there have been issues regarding the safety of hydrogen technology.

The hydrogen leak crisis: Understanding the severe safety issues now

A recent case of hydrogen leakage in these automobiles has prompted recalls in several countries because of the danger of fire outbreaks, which are characteristic of hydrogen fuel.

According to the South Korean press, many Hyundai Nexo cars have been discovered to have leaking hydrogen tanks. The Korean Transportation Safety Authority (KOTAS) reported approximately 2277 accidents, which include leaks between 2020 and September 2024.

Such leaks are dangerous because hydrogen is explosive and can cause explosions when held in a sealed environment with a source of fire. While Hyundai has done so in North America and is doing so in Australia, South Korean officials have faulted the carmaker for not doing so at home.

This is a safety challenge based on a system component known as the Thermally Activated Pressure Relief Device (TPRD), which is supposed to vent hydrogen gas in case there is overheating around the hydrogen fuel tank. This device uses a glass-based release mechanism that fails early due to microcracks, which results in unplanned hydrogen release.

Drivers might hear a wind-like sound when hydrogen gas leaks, a fog-like formation near the car’s rear, the fuel gauge might drop, and a malfunction light. These warning signs go on to show why and how the hydrogen fuel systems are not only hazardous but also very complicated.

Impact of the recall: How public confidence in hydrogen vehicles is shaken

Hyundai’s recall of cars in the United States and Canada has brought to the fore the issue of safety in hydrogen technology. But, if a total recall is not possible in South Korea, where the problem was first identified, the public’s trust in hydrogen vehicles remains low.

The recall has again sparked questions about the sustainability of hydrogen vehicles in the consumer market, where the reliability is expected to match that of conventional fuel-powered or electric cars. Lack of safety will significantly affect consumers’ propensity to adopt alternative fuel technologies if not addressed...

Bold is reproduced from the original.

A hydrogen explosion in Korea in an industrial plant, where presumably people were trained to handle this dangerous gas, which I covered recently, killed 8 people, more than radiation releases resulting from the hydrogen explosions in the nuclear reactors at Fukushima (0 people).

I covered the hydrogen explosion at an industrial plant in Korea, where people were presumably trained to handle the dangerous gas, recently in this space: PR Management in Hydrogen Explosions: Lessons from Three Hydrogen Explosions in Korea.