“The most expensive fuel”: Despite emission-free driving, the hydrogen train has serious disadvantages – this is how it drives in Stadler’s Flirt H2
The rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler promotes its hydrogen train as an environmentally friendly alternative to diesel trains. However: fuel and vehicle are relatively expensive, the efficiency of the fuel cell is low. And a lot depends on how the hydrogen is produced. A test drive shows: At least it travels comfortably.
Stadler’s Flirt H hydrogen train2 for California at the old Hemishofen station.
Image: Ralph Ribi
The diesel train is loud and pollutes the environment. For Stadler it is therefore a discontinued model. Even on routes that are not electrified, i.e. do not have a contact wire. In Switzerland, this is only 0.2 percent of all routes, in Germany, on the other hand, 39 percent, in Great Britain 62 percent or in the USA a whopping 99 percent.
