Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Global Size, Share, Trends, Growth and Forecast 2022-2032

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Overview and Definition

The global hydrogen fuel cell market is expected to reach a valuation of $133.5 billion in 2030. The market reached a valuation of $2.07 billion in 2021. It is anticipated to grow at robust 63.91% CAGR during the 2022-2030 period. The hydrogen fuel cell market is a rapidly growing industry that offers clean and efficient energy solutions for a variety of applications, including transportation, stationary power generation, and portable power.

Fuel cell technology works by using hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity through an electrochemical process. This makes it a clean and efficient alternative to traditional fossil fuels, as it does not produce any harmful emissions. The use of hydrogen fuel cells also helps reduce dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, which are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive.

The hydrogen fuel cell market is expected to continue its growth in the coming years, driven by increasing demand for clean and efficient energy solutions, as well as the development of new technologies and applications. The growing demand to find clean energy, alternatives to electric vehicles, and infrastructure remains key drivers to market growth. 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Key Drivers

There are several factors driving the growth of the hydrogen fuel cell market:

Increasing demand for clean energy: With growing concerns about climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is an increasing demand for clean energy sources such as hydrogen fuel cells.

Government support: Governments around the world are providing financial incentives and subsidies to support the development and deployment of hydrogen fuel cell technology. This has created a favorable environment for growth in the hydrogen fuel cell market.

Technological advancements: Continuous advancements in hydrogen fuel cell technology, including improvements in efficiency, durability, and cost-effectiveness, are driving the growth of the market.

Growing demand for fuel cell vehicles: The increasing popularity of fuel cell vehicles, particularly in Europe and Asia, is driving demand for hydrogen fuel cells. These vehicles offer a clean and efficient alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, and their popularity is expected to grow in the coming years.

Rising demand for portable power solutions: There is a growing demand for portable power solutions, particularly in remote and off-grid locations. Hydrogen fuel cells are increasingly being used as a clean and efficient source of portable power for a variety of applications, including military operations, disaster relief, and outdoor recreation.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for hydrogen fuel cell in EVs grew multifold during 2021-2022. Furthermore, the demand also expanded in new applications, with demand for steel manufacturing showing significant rise. Furthermore, the demand for hydrogen fuel cell also grew in heavy-duty trucks, which is a major positive for future growth. 

Germany also witnessed the launch of first train operated using hydrogen fuel cells. Moreover, major shipping countries around the world signed strategic agreements to secure supply of hydrogen for future transportation. Furthermore, conventionally, the supply of hydrogen remained an issue, wherein costs of manufacturing, and capacity remained obstacles to large-scale growth. According to the IEA, the manufacturing capacity doubled in 2021-2022 to 8GW per year. Furthermore, the IEA anticipates that the cheap hydrogen manufacturing capacity will rise to 134-240 GW by 2030 end. 

Key players in the automotive industry and policy makers around the world continue to search for alternatives to electric vehicles. On one hand, electric vehicles remain a mile away from being a completely safe solution as cases of fires, and accidents make their way into mainstream media.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Challenges

Despite its growth potential, the hydrogen fuel cell market also faces several challenges that need to be overcome in order to fully realize its potential:

High cost: One of the biggest challenges facing the hydrogen fuel cell market is the high cost of fuel cell systems and infrastructure, particularly when compared to traditional fossil fuels.

Limited hydrogen infrastructure: The lack of a widespread hydrogen infrastructure, including hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, is a major challenge facing the hydrogen fuel cell market.

Safety concerns: Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas, and there are concerns about the safety of hydrogen fuel cells and the potential for hydrogen leaks and explosions.

Technical challenges: The development and deployment of hydrogen fuel cell technology is a complex and challenging process that requires significant investments in research and development.

Competition from other clean energy technologies: The hydrogen fuel cell market faces competition from other clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles and battery storage, which are also growing in popularity.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Segmentation

The global hydrogen fuel cell market report is segmented by technology into proton exchange, phosphporic acid fuel cell, solid oxide fuel cells, among others. the proton exchange technology remains the biggest green and scalable promise for growth. This promise has led to considerable growth on the supply side, with capacities doubling in 2021-2022. The increase in capacity is key to making hydrogen a cost-effective, and real alternative at gas stations for consumers. These factors are likely to help the segment hold the highest market share during the 2022-2030 period. 

The hydrogen fuel cell market report is also divided into end-use by fuel cell vehicles, cell vehicles, utilities, and defense. The fuel cell vehicles remains the largest promise for growth as heavy-duty vehicles, especially in China have already picked up adapted the technology to spell promising growth. Furthermore, shipping agreement by major industry players also spells a promising horizon for growth for fuel cell in the industry.

The utilities segment also promises considerable growth, as small distribution energy units promise to replace large units in the near future. These developments are key to adoption of renewable energy as renewable energy supplies can be intermittent, and require high efficiencies for continuous supply. The demand for hybrid cell-driven vehicle also opens new opportunities for growth. As electric vehicle remain far behind in mass adoption due to limited range of these vehicles, hybrid vehicles are likely to meet the growing demand for long-range electric vehicles. 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Regional Outlook

The hydrogen fuel cell market report is divided into regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa. Among these, North America region promises to hold the highest share of revenues during the forecast period. The large automotive market in the region, the presence of major EV players like Tesla, Ford, among others, and growing policy support for advancement of hydrogen fuel cell technology remain promising driver of growth. 

Europe and Asia Pacific also remain key regions to follow during the forecast period. Europe recently overtook China in its quest to adopt green energy. The region witnessed launch of hydrogen fuel cell driven trains, as well as overtook China in total number of EVs sold globally. The Asia Pacific, especially China and India remain promising countries for growth. India and China continue to bank on cost-effective EV models to surge growth. This has led both the countries to make significant strides. However, the lack of availability of long-range options within range, and limited infrastructure for fast charging remain key obstacles to growth. 

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Notable Development

Volkswagen Group announced in 2022 that it has been working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle for some time. The company filed a patent in regards to hydrogen fuel cell technology for a future production model in 2021. The vehicle promises to solve key challenges related to long-range of vehicles. It promises range of nearly 2000km, an extraordinary feat by today’s standards. News reports about the patent suggests that Volkswagen Group will be deploying a hydrogen fuel cell based on a ceramic membrane, which remains cheaper than conventional polymer membrane, which is currently being used by other automakers also pursuing hydrogen fuel cell technology. 

Scania, a company pioneering the EV technology in Switzerland has made major forays in the hydrogen fuel cell technology. It has delivered hydrogen fuel cell trucks to various companies in Switzerland including Emmi AG, Genossenschaft Migros Zürich, Gysin Tiefbau AG and TRAVECO Transporte AG.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Market: Key Players

• Audi AG
• General Motors Company
• Daimler AG
• MAN SE
• Honda Motor Co. Ltd
• Ballard Power Systems Inc.
• Hyundai Motor Group
• Toyota Motor Corporation
• Volvo Group
• BMW Group