The hype around hydrogen fuel cells gradually faded as BEVs began to take hold in the evolving green-transportation market. Might technological improvements bring them back into competition?

In the 2000s, under pressure to build greener cars, several automakers pursued hydrogen-based fuel-cell technology as an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly solution for powering vehicles whose only exhaust emission would be water vapor. Investors poured massive amounts of resources into hydrogen fuel-cell development, and a handful of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) hit the market over the past decade.

The hype around hydrogen fuel cells gradually faded, however, as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) began to take hold in the evolving green-transportation market. Tesla’s 2008 launch of its first luxury electric car, the Roadster, opened the door to consumer BEV development and adoption. It rapidly became obvious that for the near future, battery power would deliver more efficient solutions than fuel cells to meet the demand for green cars.

Looking in the rearview mirror, what happened to all the programs to develop hydrogen FCVs? And going forward, might technological improvements bring them back into competition with BEVs?