Interest In Hydrogen Cars In The US Experiences 70 Percent Reduction In The First Quarter Of 2024

Hyundai Nexo. (Photo: Hyundai Motor Group)

JAKARTA - The hydrogen fuel cell car market is still relatively small to date. Limited supporting infrastructure is one of the causes except in California, United States (US). However, in the first quarter of 2024, sales of this vehicle there also experienced a decline.

Reporting from InsideEVs, Thursday, April 18, 223 hydrogen fuel cell cars (either FCV or FCEV) were sold during the first quarter of this year. Of course, this figure is 70 percent lower than last year's acquisition and is the slowest since 2016.

In this area, there are only two FCV models, namely Toyota Mirai which only sold 172 units (down 72 percent) and Hyundai Nexo totaling 51 units (down 22 percent).

For the proceeds from this sale, it reduces sales opportunities beyond last year's acquisition. As an illustration, overall gain in 2023 reached 2,978 units, an increase of 10 percent compared to 2022. Among these, Toyota Mirai received sales of 2,737 units (up 31 percent) and Hyundai Nexo reached 241 units (down 41 percent).

Meanwhile, other manufacturers such as Honda have stopped selling Clarity Fuel Cell in 2021. However, the manufacturer with the 'H' logo is again enlivening this segment by introducing CR-V e:FCEV earlier this year and is expected to boost sales of hydrogen fuel cell cars as a whole.

In addition to manufacturers, leading oil companies, Shell has previously decided to close seven hydrogen charging stations in California in early February this year. The closure of this charging station was due to various factors, including hydrogen supply complications and other external market conditions.

Based on a scanning map from Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership (H2FCP), Shell currently operates seven of California's 55 retail hydrogen stations. Thus, supporting infrastructure for hydrogen cars in this state also experienced a decline.