Search Results (42)

The baseline assessment analysis for total cost of ownership of the pilot demonstrations of the ESCALATE project was carried out for four different powertrain configurations, dealing with modular and scalable powertrains for various vehicle configurations in long-haul trucking. The baseline TCO methodology and results for battery electric trucks (BETs), fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) and FC range-extending BETs are analysed based on the final designs of the demonstrator vehicles and their foreseen pilot use cases and operational scenarios. As real operation data is not yet available, the analysis relies on energy use and pilot mission analysis through simulation. Overall, the TCO analysis shows several key factors affecting the relative competitiveness of the different zero-emission powertrains and vehicles. Long-haul operations pose clear challenges to vehicle design and long-range vehicles on single charge or refill show increased curb weight, limiting allowable payload due to GVW limits. The best payload capacity is shown for opportunity charging BETs and FCETs. BETs are generally the closest competitor to conventional trucks, but a key factor is the relative energy price difference between diesel, electricity (private or public) and hydrogen. Energy sourcing will be an important factor for end users to enable competitive shift to zero-emission options. Access to cheap private electricity or local green hydrogen may facilitate a choice between the options. Full article

The reduction in driving range during winter remains a major barrier to the widespread adoption of battery electric buses (BEBs), as battery performance degradation and increased Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) energy demand significantly raise total energy consumption. This study investigates the use of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as auxiliary power units for range-extended electric buses (FC-REEBs) under low-temperature conditions to address this challenge. A comprehensive dynamic model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink 2025a version, integrating a fuel cell system, lithium-ion battery, power conversion unit, vehicle dynamics, and cabin thermal model. The model was evaluated under the World Harmonized Vehicle Cycle (WHVC) to compare three fuel cell operation strategies defined by fuel cell capacity and operating modes for cabin heating and battery charging. Performance was compared in terms of SOC variation, fuel cell loading patterns, hydrogen consumption, and equivalent fuel economy. Results indicate that the high-capacity strategy improves SOC stability but increases hydrogen consumption and reduces overall efficiency. In contrast, the strategy prioritizing cabin heating with minimal battery charging effectively utilizes waste heat and achieves the highest equivalent fuel economy. These findings highlight key trade-offs among different operating strategies and demonstrate that fuel cells can significantly enhance BEB efficiency and driving performance in cold environments while reducing battery load. Full article

The transportation sector’s decarbonization represents one of the most critical challenges in achieving global climate targets. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of an integrated renewable energy system that produces green hydrogen through a hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power configuration. The proposed system combines a 1.2 MWp solar array with 800 kW wind turbines, feeding a 1 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The hydrogen is subsequently compressed, stored at 350 (for trucks and buses) and 700 bar (for cars), and then utilized either directly for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) or reconverted to electricity via a 250 kW stationary PEM fuel cell to support electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. Through detailed techno-economic simulation using HOMER Pro and MATLAB/Simulink 2022a, we demonstrate that the hybrid configuration achieves a 71% electrolyzer capacity factor, producing 55.8 tonnes of hydrogen annually with a levelized cost of 5.82 €/kg. The system ensures over 60 h of grid-independent operation while reducing CO₂ emissions by 1656 tones annually compared to conventional grid-powered alternatives. Results indicate that hybrid renewable hydrogen systems can provide economically viable solutions for sustainable mobility infrastructure, with projected cost reductions making them competitive with fossil fuel alternatives by 2030. Full article

Achieving the EU 2030 target of a 30% CO₂ reduction requires transitioning intercity buses to CNG- or fuel-cell-driven vehicles, and urban buses to electric vehicles. The increasing mass of roof-mounted energy systems, such as battery packs, creates additional loads on the body frame. This study investigates the integration of a welded handrail system into the bus body frame as an additional load-bearing element. A combined approach based on dynamic modeling and finite element analysis was applied to evaluate the structural body response under the UNECE R100 and R110 regulations. The results demonstrate that the structural concept significantly improves the stress–strain state of the body frame. Maximum roof displacements under 5g loading decreased by 34% for the gas-powered model and by 50% for the electric model, enhancing passive safety by reducing window-rack intrusion. Maximum stress decreased by 20%, shifting the stress state below the ultimate strength of S235 steel and preventing rupture. Uniform strength under vertical loading increased significantly (by 58%) due to a more favorable stress distribution within the structure. Overall, the results indicate that integrating a welded handrail truss into the bus body frame can effectively improve structural stiffness and redistribute loads within the frame. Full article

This study investigates the prospects for implementing hydrogen mobility in Bulgaria within the broader context of transport decarbonization. Using a three-dimensional framework—policy, technology, and geography—it combines analysis of European and national strategic documents, technological feasibility assessment, and a pilot case study in the city of Ruse. The pilot scenario includes a regional hydrogen ecosystem with a photovoltaic-powered electrolyzer, two refueling stations, deployment of 20 hydrogen buses, and retrofitting of a river vessel with fuel cell propulsion. Results indicate that hydrogen technologies can significantly reduce transport-related emissions, particularly where battery-electric solutions face operational constraints. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis shows that hydrogen buses remain more expensive than diesel or battery-electric alternatives under current conditions, even with locally produced green hydrogen. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that cost competitiveness may be achieved after 2030 with large-scale investments, policy support, and reduced hydrogen prices. The study highlights the importance of coherent national strategies, public–private partnerships, and targeted financial instruments to enable sustainable integration of hydrogen in urban and river transport systems. Full article

The increasing penetration of distributed renewable energy resources and the emergence of prosumers are reshaping the operational landscape of distribution grids. This work proposes a comprehensive prosumer-centric control and coordination framework integrated into the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution feeder. Selected buses are modeled as aggregated prosumer nodes equipped with photovoltaic (PV) generation, wind turbines, oncentrated solar power (CSP), a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) including redox flow batteries (RFBs), superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), and fuel cells (FCs), as well as electric vehicle (EV) fleets. A hierarchical power management strategy is developed, combining a decentralized fuzzy logic controller for real-time dispatch with a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) layer that tunes membership functions and rule weights to enhance system stability and renewable utilization. Time-series simulations are conducted to evaluate the impact of prosumer integration on network performance. The results show a significant improvement in the voltage profile across all buses, particularly at downstream nodes, highlighting the effectiveness of distributed renewable injections and coordinated storage management. The proposed framework illustrates the potential of clustered prosumers to support voltage stability, improve grid operation and enable high-renewable penetration in distribution networks. Full article

To achieve deep decarbonization in the transportation sector, this study employs life cycle assessment (LCA) and the GREET model to construct baseline and low-carbon scenarios. It simulates the evolution of emissions and energy consumption within Inner Mongolia’s public transportation energy system (including diesel buses (DBs), electric buses (EBs), and hydrogen fuel cell buses (HFCBs)) from 2022 to 2035, while exploring synergistic pathways for its low-carbon transition. Results reveal that under the baseline scenario, reliance on industrial by-product hydrogen causes fuel cell bus emissions to increase by 3.64% in 2025 compared to 2022, with system energy savings below 10%, and decarbonization potential will be constrained by scale limitations and storage/transportation losses in cold regions. Under the low-carbon scenario, deep grid decarbonization, vehicle structure optimization, and green hydrogen integration reduced system emissions and energy consumption by 66.86% and 40.44%, respectively, compared to 2022. The study identifies a 15% green hydrogen penetration rate as the critical threshold for resource misallocation and confirms grid decarbonization as the top-priority policy tool, yielding marginal benefits 1.43 times greater than standalone hydrogen policies. This study underscores the importance of multi-policy coordination and ‘technology-supply chain’ synergy, particularly highlighting the critical threshold of green hydrogen penetration and the primacy of grid decarbonization, offering insights for similar coal-dominated, cold-region transportation energy transitions. Full article

Energy transformation is one of the processes shaping contemporary urban transport systems, with public transport being the subject of initiatives designed to enhance its attractiveness and transport utility, including electromobility. This article presents a case study for a metropolitan conurbation—the GZM Metropolis in Poland—considering the economic efficiency of implementing buses with conventional diesel engines, electric buses (battery electric buses), and hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses. The analysis is based on the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) method using the discounted cash flow (DCF) method. Full article

At present, the decarbonization of the public transport sector plays a key role in international and regional policies. Among the various energy vectors being considered for future clean bus fleets, green hydrogen and electricity are gaining significant attention thanks to their minimal carbon footprint. However, a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is essential to compare the most viable solutions for public mobility, accounting for variations in weather conditions, geographic locations, and time horizons. Therefore, the present work compares the life cycle environmental impact of different powertrain configurations for urban buses. In particular, a series hybrid architecture featuring two possible hydrogen-fueled Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) is considered: an H2-Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and a Fuel Cell (FC). Furthermore, a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is considered for the same application. The global warming potential of these powertrains is assessed in comparison to both conventional and hybrid diesel over a typical urban mission profile and in a wide range of external ambient conditions. Given that cabin and battery conditioning significantly influence energy consumption, their impact varies considerably between powertrain options. A sensitivity analysis of the BEV battery size is conducted, considering the effect of battery preconditioning strategies as well. Furthermore, to evaluate the potential of hydrogen and electricity in achieving cleaner public mobility throughout Europe, this study examines the effect of different grid carbon intensities on overall emissions, based also on a seasonal variability and future projections. Finally, the present study demonstrates the strong dependence of the carbon footprint of various technologies on both current and future scenarios, identifying a range of boundary conditions suitable for each analysed powertrain option. Full article

Hydrogen offers an effective pathway for the large-scale storage of renewable energy. For a tourist city located in a plateau region rich in renewable energy, hydrogen shows great potential for reducing carbon emissions and utilizing uncertain renewable energy. Herein, the wind–solar–hydrogen stand-alone and grid-connected systems in the plateau tourist city of Lijiang City in Yunnan Province are modeled and techno-economically evaluated by using the HOMER Pro software (version 3.14.2) with the multi-criteria decision analysis models. The system is composed of 5588 kW solar photovoltaic panels, an 800 kW wind turbine, a 1600 kW electrolyzer, a 421 kWh battery, and a 50 kW fuel cell. In addition to meeting the power requirements for system operation, the system has the capacity to provide daily electricity for 200 households in a neighborhood and supply 240 kg of hydrogen per day to local hydrogen-fueled buses. The stand-alone system can produce 10.15 × 10⁶ kWh of electricity and 93.44 t of hydrogen per year, with an NPC of USD 8.15 million, an LCOE of USD 0.43/kWh, and an LCOH of USD 5.26/kg. The grid-connected system can generate 10.10 × 10⁶ kWh of electricity and 103.01 ton of hydrogen annually. Its NPC is USD 7.34 million, its LCOE is USD 0.11/kWh, and its LCOH is USD 3.42/kg. This study provides a new solution for optimizing the configuration of hybrid renewable energy systems, which will develop the hydrogen economy and create low-carbon-emission energy systems. Full article

Public transportation in cities is negatively affected by reliance on petroleum-based fuels, leading to emissions and poor air quality. Although the environmental evaluation of alternative buses in terms of sustainability has been extensively studied, the social dimensions have not received as much attention. In this regard, this research examines the social implications of alternative urban buses through life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods, including Eco-Indicator 99, Impact 2002+, and ReCiPe Endpoint. The results indicate that diesel buses significantly impact health, while hybrid, fuel cell, and electric buses can decrease emissions by 50%. These results underscore the necessity of zero-emission technologies to enhance urban air quality and promote better public health. Full article

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions depends mostly on urban transport electrification. However, the role of trolleybus systems in this process is still under discussion. The objective of this study was to analyze the viability of trolleybus buses in relation to diesel buses regarding environmental and economic aspects. The research was conducted in Vilnius, Lithuania using an extended CO₂ emission methodology incorporating physicochemical fuel properties and real-world operational data that allowed us to estimate CO₂ emissions and economic impacts. The findings indicate that the Vilnius trolleybus system prevents 84,996.32 kg of CO₂ emissions monthly compared to diesel buses (gross avoided emissions). After accounting for emissions from electricity generation (based on Lithuania’s 2023 grid mix), the net avoided emissions are approximately 61,569 kg of CO₂ per month, equivalent to EUR 4284 in carbon credits. The system also significantly reduces local air pollutants. Moreover, the new In-Motion Charging (IMC) technology improves system flexibility by decreasing dependence on overhead wires and maintaining low emission levels. IMC trolleybuses represent a cost-efficient option compared to battery-electric buses (BEBs) and hydrogen fuel cell buses (FCEBs). Our findings support the European Union’s decarbonization goals and provide essential insights for policymakers considering public transportation electrification efforts. Full article

This study evaluates four hybrid infrastructure scenarios for supporting battery electric buses (BEBs) and fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs), analyzing different combinations of grid power, solar energy, battery storage, and fuel cell systems. A multi-stage framework—comprising energy demand forecasting, infrastructure capacity planning, and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) evaluation incorporating total cost of ownership (TCO), carbon emissions, and energy resilience—was developed and applied to a real-world transit depot. The results highlight critical trade-offs between financial, environmental, and operational objectives. The limited rooftop solar configuration, integrating solar energy through a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA), emerges as the most cost-effective near-term solution. Offsite solar with onsite large-scale battery storage and offsite solar with fuel cell integration achieve greater sustainability and resilience, but they face substantial cost barriers. The analysis underscores the importance of balancing investment, emissions reduction, and resilience in planning zero-emission bus fleets. Full article

To combat global warming, many industrialized countries have announced plans to ban vehicles powered by fossil fuel in the near future. In alignment with this global initiative, many countries across the globe are committed to decarbonizing their public transportation sector, which significantly contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions. A promising strategy to achieve this goal is the adoption of electric buses, specifically battery electric buses and fuel cell electric buses. Each technology offers distinct advantages and drawbacks, making the decision-making process complex. This research aims to answer two critical questions: What is the optimal choice for decarbonizing the bus transportation sector—electric battery buses or fuel cell electric buses? And what are the best energy carrier pathways for charging or refueling these buses? We propose a methodological framework based on multi-criteria decision-making to address these questions comprehensively. This framework utilizes the entropy weighting and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodologies to rank alternative bus technologies along with energy carrier pathways. The framework evaluates a range of criteria, including economic viability, energy demand, and environmental aspects. To illustrate the framework, we considered Qatar as a case study. Our results indicate that, with respect to economic viability and energy consumption, the operation of battery electric buses is favored over fuel cell electric buses, regardless of the energy pathway utilized during both the energy production and bus operation phases. However, from an environmental perspective, operating both bus alternatives using energy from green sources provides superior performance compared to when these buses are powered by natural gas sources. Full article

This paper presents a comprehensive review of scientific papers and market reports analyzing the economic competitiveness of fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) with respect to their conventional alternatives via the total cost of ownership (TCO) methodology. We discussed the variables and data taken into account and compared the resulting outcomes by year and geographical areas. It emerged that FCBs are not currently cost competitive. The decreasing trend in acquisition and fuel costs, however, indicates potential for future competitiveness. We find that the current TCO literature on FCEBs presents several areas of uncertainty and weakness. Potential improvements can be achieved by: (i) extending the geographic coverage to Asian and African developing countries; (ii) making use of real-world data instead of simulated data, in particular, concerning acquisition costs, hydrogen costs under different pathways, fuel efficiency, and maintenance costs; (iii) clarifying the role of infrastructural costs; (iv) exploring the existence of economies of scale at fleet level; (v) distinguishing among different bus sizes. Full article