Andrew Forrest, Australia's Iron Ore Tycoon, took a swipe on Tesla CEO Elon Musk as he questioned the EV manufacturer's "green" credentials.
Andrew Forrest vs. Elon Musk: What Started This Feud?
On February 23, 2019, CNBC reported that the Tesla CEO strongly believes that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles' success is "simply not possible."
Musk had also called using hydrogen fuel cells as "mind-bogglingly stupid," adding that he does not have anything good to say about the technology.
He also called hydrogen fuel cells as "fool sells," a "load of rubbish," and "staggeringly dumb" on separate occasions.
Fuel cells should be called fool sells! Such a silly choice for cars. Not great even for a rocket upper stage imo, but at least not absurd.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2021
Also Read: Scientists Turn CO2 Into Jet Fuel: Is it Better than Hydrogen and Water Conversion?
His sentiments are backed by the chief engineer for Toyota's Mirai, Yoshikazu Tanaka, who said that the Tesla CEO is correct, adding that charging electric cars directly by plugging it in is much better that its hydrogen-powered counterpart.
This remark seemed to draw the ire of the Australian philanthropist, who is a stauch supporter and strong advocate of hydrogen fuel cells.
During his speech at the "Boyer Lecture for 2021," Forrest said that Musk has every reason to fear the use of hydrogen fuel cells.
"His description is perhaps better suited to someone who peddles a battery technology as green - when it runs on fossil fuel," he said.
Andrew Forrest: Who Is He?
Dr. Andrew Forrest, known to many as "Twiggy," is the former CEO of Fortescue Metals Group - a mining company that obtains and ships out iron ore to China.
His Forbes profile, which was updated on Monday, March 29, states that the 59-year-old billionaire is Australia's most prominent philanthropist after donating AUD 655 million ($500 million) to multiple causes.
As an active philanthropist, he and his wife Nicola co-founded the Minderoo Foundation in 2001, in which the couple had donated more than AUD 2 billion ($1.5 billion) and had so far supported over 300 initiatives.
He recently toured the globe, visiting nearly 50 countries in four months to study other countries and companies' ways to lower their greenhouse emissions.
Forrest said that the world's thirst for green energy gave him the optimism to utilize hydrogen as an energy source.
Andrew Forrest's Stance on Alternative Energy Source
ABC Australia published Forrest's speech at the "Boyer Lecture for 2021" on January 24 titled "Oil vs Water: Confessions of a Carbon Emitter."
During his speech, Forrest strongly advocated using hydrogen as an alternative energy source, stressing that it is the purest energy source in the world.
He added that using "green hydrogen" could replace up to three-quarters of global emissions if experts improve the technology to harness the abundant resource.
"Right now, we don't use it for energy," he said. "Green hydrogen - the good stuff - is virtually ignored by the economic world."
Forrest continued that zero-emissions energy must be available to everyone globally, and the price must compete with fossil fuels.
The Australian tycoon also stressed that switching to green hydrogen right now could create revenues up to $12 trillion by 2050.
Related Article: Elon Musk Hypes up "Battery Day" on 9/22: Could Tesla have been Secretly Manufacturing Batteries As Well?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Lee Mercado
