Hydrogen fuel supply chains for vehicular emissions mitigation: A feasibility assessment for North American freight transport sector

Abstract

Freight trucks powered by alternative low-emissions fuel sources such as electricity or hydrogen have gained significant attention as replacements for their fossil fuel-operated counterparts. Even though this shift to alternative fuels can reduce the operational emissions at the vehicle tailpipe, there can be significant emissions throughout their supply chains. A thorough review of the published literature highlights that a comprehensive investigation is lacking on the well-to-wheel life cycle impacts of hydrogen fuel used for freight transportation. Furthermore, a comparison between hydrogen-fueled and electric freight transport is unavailable in the published literature. This study comprehensively investigated the life cycle environmental and economic impacts of alternative fueled freight transport based on vehicle types and relevant supply chains. A life cycle impact database was developed for key electric and hydrogen fuel supply chain scenarios and was ranked based on the economic and environmental performance under different decision-maker perspectives. The life cycle emissions of delivering hydrogen fuel range from 2.2 to 12.6 kgCO2eq./kg of hydrogen whereas electric grid emissions range from 0.005 to 0.315 kgCO2eq./MJ. However, hydrogen systems that use electrolysis to produce hydrogen show better environmental performance over the complete vehicle life cycle compared to electric systems that are highly dependent on nonrenewable energy sources. The cost of ownership of a hydrogen and electric freight truck is approximately 2.15 and 0.54 CAD/km respectively. However, with investments from governments and private institutions to develop hydrogen refueling infrastructure, hydrogen-fueled freight vehicles have the potential for reducing GHG emissions in the road transportation sector.