Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars: $50 For 300 Miles--Or Free To Fill Up?

Electric cars are far cheaper to run than gasoline cars on a per-mile basis--and depending on the assumptions, they can be cheaper over their entire life too.

And gasoline and diesel vehicles will get steadily more fuel-efficient through 2025 under a variety of global regulations.

But what about hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, which Toyota and Honda strongly feel are a better zero-emission alternative than battery-electric cars?

DON'T MISS: Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars To Come From Toyota, Hyundai, Honda

Yesterday, a Toyota executive suggested that a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle with 300 miles of range could cost $50 for a fill-up, as reported by Ecomento.

Bob Carter, a senior vice president at Toyota's North American unit, spoke at yesterday's J.P. Morgan Auto Conference in New York City for investors and industry analysts.

He based his estimate on U.S. Department of Energy figures--though the same estimates suggested that the cost would later fall to $30.

As Transport Evolved pointed out, $50 is more than twice what you'd pay in the company's own Toyota Prius--rated at 50 mpg combined--to cover the same 300 miles (assuming gasoline at $4 a gallon).