Bill Gates Maintains Clean Hydrogen A 'Swiss Army Knife of Decarbonization' — Musk Called It A 'Staggeringly Dumb Form Of Energy'

Microsoft Corp co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates on Friday termed clean hydrogen ‘the swiss army knife of decarbonization,’ a position which clashes with the opinions of Tesla Inc TSLA CEO and co-billionaire Elon Musk yet again.

What Happened: Gates applauded the efforts of unicorn startup Electric Hydrogen which recently received backing from different players including Microsoft to push it over the $1 billion mark. “Clean hydrogen is the Swiss Army Knife of decarbonization,” Gates wrote.

Gates has cited clean hydrogen as integral to the clean energy economy in the past too. The billionaire is of the opinion that clean hydrogen will enable heavy-duty transport as battery-electric vehicles do not work for aviation, shipping, or long-distance trucking. The comment triggered Musk whose EV company had unveiled a fully electric semi truck— the Tesla Semi— in 2017.

Why It Matters: Musk, meanwhile, is a critique of hydrogen as a potential power choice for vehicles. “Hydrogen is a staggeringly dumb form of energy storage for cars,” Musk said in May 2021. He reiterated the same again earlier this year while also criticizing government funding for hydrogen trucks.

It’s worth noting that Bill Gates maintained a short position on Tesla, and Musk declined Gates’ philanthropic proposals in 2022 due to this position. 

Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock

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