OK, I'm interested in making this calculation, I'm happy to have my assumptions challenged.

As per my link, the efficiency of BEVs from source to wheel is 76%, the current same for hydrogen is 30%. This technology will likely make this worse for H2 in exchange for better practical applications, range, weight, etc.

If you want to compare a hypothetical H2 car against a real world BEV lets compare a Tesla Model Y against the best case H2.

Assumptions:

12 year vehicle lifetime

14 000 miles per year

0.0456 $ per mile (typical home charging)

0.1155 $ per mile (assuming the above relationship, this accounts for inflation in the comparison)

These numbers give us the cost of energy difference at $11 743 in favour of the BEV. Given that a replacement MY batters is $15 000 you are correct that the H2 is better economy than the BEV, however the BEV exists now, with a charging infrastructure, but the H2 vehicle does not. Also whilst H2 costs aren't likely to change much with economy of scale, this definitely isn't true of battery technology.

Basically my previous points stand, H2 is going to be important for some uses, but there is a danger that stories about it give the illusion that we don't need to stop using ICE now and switch to BEVs for personal vehicles for both environmental and economic reasons.

One can be pro BEV and pro H2 at the same time.