Hydrogen Fuel Consumption Calculator

Hydrogen Fuel Consumption Calculator

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are fueled by mass (kilograms of compressed hydrogen gas) rather than volume, since hydrogen's very low density means even highly compressed tanks hold a relatively small mass of fuel.

Hydrogen Needed = Distance / Fuel Economy (miles per kg H2)

Example

A 300-mile trip at 65 miles per kg of hydrogen:

Hydrogen Needed = 300 / 65 = 4.615 kg H2

Comparing to Conventional Vehicles

Current production fuel cell passenger vehicles commonly achieve somewhere around 60-70 miles per kilogram of hydrogen - broadly comparable in driving range terms to a conventional gasoline vehicle's MPG rating, even though the underlying units (miles per kg versus miles per gallon) aren't directly interchangeable.

Why High Pressure Storage Matters

Passenger hydrogen fuel cell vehicles typically store hydrogen at around 700 bar (roughly 10,000 psi) specifically to fit a practically useful amount of fuel mass into a reasonably sized vehicle tank - hydrogen's low volumetric energy density at lower pressures would otherwise require impractically large storage tanks to achieve comparable driving range.