Hydrogen storage

Hydrogen has a greater energy content by mass (142 megajoules per kilogram) than gasoline (46.4 megajoules per kilogram) but a far smaller energy content by volume (0.0108 megajoules per litre) than gasoline (34.2 megajoules per litre). Consequently, one of the disadvantages of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is the shorter distance it can travel on a full load of fuel. For example, a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox with a conventional internal combustion engine has a range of about 900 kilometres with a full 71.1-litre tank of gasoline where as the same vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell has a range of about 270 kilometres with a full 4.2-kilogram load of compressed hydrogen.

To mitigate this, manufacturers are developing higher pressure hydrogen storage tanks and are looking to eventually using high-pressure, cryogenic (below -150°C) hydrogen storage. As a liquid, hydrogen has an energy content of 10.1 megajoules per litre.