Citation: Konieczny, J.; Labisz, K.; Surma, S.; Mly ´ nczak, J.; Lukasik, J.; Boris, R.; Grzybowski, M. Hydrogen or Electric Drive—Inconvenient (Omitted) Aspects. Energies 2023, 16, 4400. https://doi.org/10.3390/ en16114400 Academic Editor: Wei-Hsin Chen Received: 6 April 2023 Revised: 3 May 2023 Accepted: 12 May 2023 Published: 30 May 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). energies Review Hydrogen or Electric Drive—Inconvenient (Omitted) Aspects Jaroslaw Konieczny 1, * , Krzysztof Labisz 1 , Szymon Surma 1 , Jakub Mly ´ nczak 1 , Jerzy Lukasik 1 , Renata Boris 2 and Michal Grzybowski 3 1 Department of Railway Transport, Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Krasi´ nskiego 8 Street, 40-019 Katowice, Poland; krzysztof.labisz@polsl.pl (K.L.); szymon.surma@polsl.pl (S.S.); jakub.mlynczak@polsl.pl (J.M.); jerzy.lukasik@polsl.pl (J.L.) 2 Laboratory of Composite Materials, Institute of Building Materials, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Linkmenu Street 28, LT-08217 Vilnius, Lithuania; renata.boris@vgtu.lt 3 ALSTOM ZWUS sp. z o.o., Modelarska 12 Street, 40-142 Katowice, Poland; michal.grzybowski@alstomgroup.com * Correspondence: jaroslaw.konieczny@polsl.pl Abstract: Currently, hydrogen and electric drives used in various means of transport is a leading topic in many respects. This article discusses the most important aspects of the operation of vehicles with electric drives (passenger cars) and hydrogen drives. In both cases, the official reason for using both drives is the possibility of independence from fossil fuel supplies, especially oil. The desire for independence is mainly dictated by political considerations. This article discusses the acquisition of basic raw materials for the construction of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, as well as methods for obtaining hydrogen as a fuel. The widespread use of electric passenger cars requires the construction of a network of charging stations. This article shows that, taking into account the entire production process of electric cars, including lithium-ion batteries, the argument that they are ecological cannot be used. Additionally, it was indicated that there is no concept for the use of used accumulator batteries. If hydrogen drives are used in trains, there is no need to build the traction network infrastructure and then continuously monitor its technical condition and perform the necessary repairs. Of course, the necessary hydrogen tanks must be built, but there must be similar tanks to store oil for diesel locomotives. This paper also deals with other possibilities of hydrogen application for transformational usage, e.g., the use of combustion engines driven with liquid hydrogen. Unfortunately, an optimistic approach to this issue does not allow for a critical view of the whole matter. In public discussion, there is no room for scientific arguments and emotions to dominate. Keywords: energy transformation; energy consumption; climate policy; energy in transport; energy savings; climate policy 1. Introduction Drive Efficiency Electric drives are used in various means of transport. The most common application is public transport, i.e., passenger cars [1], trams, trolleybuses [2], and buses, electric multiple units [3] or cycles [4]. Similarly, the aviation industry is considering the use of electrical technology and power electronics in cargo aircrafts [5]. Cars for the transport of goods (trucks) with electric drive did not go beyond the research area. However, passenger cars have entered the market quite recently. However, hydrogen-powered means of transport (FC) appeared about two decades ago. This drive is most often used in rail passenger transport, e.g., Siemens Mireo Plus H and Alstom Coradia iLint, and is currently used for passenger transport. Passenger cars equipped with fuel cells, although they are already in production (Toyota Mirai, Honda FCV Concept, Roewe 950 Fuel Cell, Audi Sportback A 7 h-tron Quottra, Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell), are still not widely used. Energies 2023, 16, 4400. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114400 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies