[wolfgang000]

Bad idea in mi opinion, this is a solved problem, overhead wires, the amount of energy lost between the converting water into hydrogen and then back into water to get electricity can be as high as 70%, it's just a bad idea when you can use that energy directly using wire to get the same job done

[Manuel_D]

Overhead wires would involve a significant infrastructure investment. Not too much of an issue with more densely populated areas like Europe - and countries like France and Japan already do use overhead wires - but it is not cost competitive in sparse locations like much of North America.

It's true that it's contingent on a carbon-free source of hydrogen. But if something like thermochemical hydrogen production through nuclear [1] or solar takes off, hydrogen fuel represents an energy-dense fuel that could be used in lieu of fossil fuels in many applications.

1. https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/gc/gc57inf-2-att1_e...

[diordiderot]

> Overhead wires would involve a significant infrastructure investment.

Yeah building dozens of large scale hydrogen plants, trenching and welding pipelines, building massive excess of necessary renewable energy, figuring distribution networks, deciding storage & container standards, house retrofits etc to run our society will be much easier than ...(checks notes)... Hanging wires

[mcv]

> "Countries like France and Japan already do use overhead wires"

Don't most countries already use these? World wide, a third of all rails is electrified in some way, and for long-distance rail, that's bound to be overhead.

Most European rail is electrified. So hydrogen or any other diesel replacement is only relevant for very rural, very sparsely used lines.

[adgjlsfhk1]

Given that trains need tracks, why is it significant added infrastructure to have wires?

[sva_]

Overhead wires are not a solution on a large scale, and also an eyesore.

[mcv]

Overhead wires are most definitely a solution on a large scale, and are used as such all over the world. And especially in Europe.