The race to find alternative clean energy has really hotted up in recent times. Two serious contenders have emerged, both green, but both not without fault.

Electric vehicles have been in the works for some years now, but more recently, a new or maybe old player has arrived. Hydrogen energy is making a surprising comeback, after years in the green fuel wilderness, some key developments and some key investment is turning its fortunes around.

There is little doubt both are viable options in a world where we desperately need emissions-free transportation. At present, neither offer that just yet, but in time, both electric and hydrogen vehicles are set to play important roles in reaching that goal.

Related: Here's Why Major Car Manufacturers Believe Hydrogen Cars Are The Future

10 Electric: Wheels In Motion

2023_Lexus_RZ_Exterior_18-1710-2
Lexus Newsroom

Electric vehicles seem to be improving all the time. Range is getting better, designs are improving, and prices are dropping.

Electric Vehicles
Via Forbes – Electric Vehicles 

The most crucial part is that the infrastructure is rapidly improving too, with charging stations getting built all over the world.

9 Hydrogen: Adapting Existing Network

Hydrogen Car
Hydrogen Car via Popular Mechanics 

As fast as charging stations are going up, it isn’t quite fast enough if manufacturers are to meet their pledge to only make electric vehicles by 2035.

hydro rotary
from Mazda.com

That seems like a pie-in-the-sky kind of vision, as opposed to Hydrogen where all the bones are already in place, thanks to the vast fossil fuel industry. Storage is still a challenge, but if we figured out how to do it with ridiculously evaporative and highly combustible gasoline, Hydrogen won’t be too much of a leap.

8 Electric: Urban Mobility

Vintage Electric Shelby E-Bike 9
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

The single most underrated electric mobility is the humble e-bike. It is easily the cheapest and most efficient way to get around, with only one obvious drawback; they just don’t do hills.

E-bike in motion
Via: Axios

E-bikes and small electric motorcycles are improving all the time and once they can figure out a way to improve torque delivery everyone should own one.

Related: Electrify Expo Brings Out The Best EVs, E-Bikes, And More In Long Beach

7 Hydrogen: Heavy Industries

JCB-Hydrogen-Excavator
JCB

At the other end of the spectrum, hydrogen makes a lot more sense. Heavy industries like construction, shipping, and aviation all already have hydrogen prototypes.

Hydrogen fuel cells loaded onto plane rendering
Pluck PR

With most of these vehicles still in the testing phase, it is hard to make too many bold claims, but it certainly seems as though they are all making nice progress.

6 Electric: Ever Improving Battery Technology

Hyundai E-GMP Electric vehicle Platform
Hyundai

It comes as no surprise that battery technology is improving as there has been a huge amount of investment into the technology over the past decade.

Mercedes-Benz EQC Skateboard Architecture Electric Vehicle
via: Mercedes-Benz

What is surprising is the alternative battery options. As we see new solid state batteries come into play, the overall size of battery packs will shrink in size.

5 Hydrogen: Range Anxiety

Toyota-Mirai-2022-1024-0a
source:netcars

No matter how much more range we get in the future, range is still a factor at present. It is a difficult feeling to put into words, something you need to experience to fully understand.

hydrogen via seeking alpha
via Seeking Alpha

It is arguably the key driving force behind hydrogen's popularity as an alternative, as it offers significantly improved range in FCEVs and even better range in ICE vehicles converted to run on hydrogen.

4 Electric: Performance Potential

Tesla Model S Plaid - Front
Via Tesla

As we have already seen with the likes of Tesla and their high performance vehicles, the performance potential for electric vehicles is immense.

Tesla Model S Plaid Against A Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Drag Race
Via: YouTube - Wheels

Able to rocket almost silently from 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds was hypercar territory just a few short years ago, now you can do it in a family sedan... well, as long as that family sedan is a Model S.

Related: This Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Gets A Harsh Reality Check From A Tesla Model X Plaid

3 Hydrogen: ICE Conversions

Via: King Rose archives

Not everyone appreciates the performance of an electric vehicle though. It is devoid of any of the traditional theatrics associated with high performance vehicles. Unlike what some will say, electric vehicles do make a noise, it just isn’t a very nice kind of noise.

Hydrogen V8 engine
YouTube

Toyota and Yamaha recently collaborated to produce a new age V8 ICE that can run on hydrogen, something that will give future tuners some hope. It underlines the need to think long and hard about how to go about converting existing ICE vehicles to run on hydrogen. Simply discarding ICE technology is not an option.

2 Electric: Elegant

Electric Vehicle
Electric vehicle via CEJN

With a vast electric grid run on renewable resources, the electric dream can be a reality. It is an elegant kind of solution to the problem.

via carbonbrief.org

Electric vehicles have less moving parts and theoretically will eventually cost less once a solution is found to the growing battery dilemma.

1 Hydrogen: Practical Transition

This Is Why Hyundai Wants To Popularize Hydrogen Fuel - Fuel Cell Trailer Drone
Via: Hyundai

No matter which way you look at it, electric vehicles make more sense for personal transportation, especially e-bikes/scooters/motorcycles. Unfortunately, it will take time to figure out how to improve batteries, and put a suitable recycling solution forward.

Hyundai's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Autonomous Trailer Drone For Logistics
Via: Hyundai

For now, hydrogen offers a ready-made solution that can not only work as a stop-gap, but also serve us long term in heavy industries and specialty classic vehicles that we want to preserve in a more sustainable manner.