Life-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions of hydrogen supply chains for fuel-cell vehicles in China

Abstract

A model is established to conduct life cycle analysis of primary-energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of hydrogen supply chains for fuel-cell vehicles in China. Battery electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles are set as reference pathways. Results show that the life-cycle primary-energy consumption is lowest for hydropower-based and nuclear-power-based electricity on hydrogen pathways, approximately ranging from 0.48 to 0.94 MJ/MJ H2. By-product hydrogen production also conserves energy while natural gas-based, coal-based, and grid power-based hydrogen pathways have no advantages in terms of life-cycle energy consumption. Similar results for life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are found. Private-passenger fuel-cell vehicles fueled by hydropower-based and nuclear power-based hydrogen have outstanding potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while those fueled by natural-gas-based hydrogen (with life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions ranging 187–235 g CO2,eq/km) are comparable to conventional vehicles. Fuel-cell vehicles fueled by current grid power-based hydrogen have two to three times the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of internal combustion engine vehicles. Hydrogen-fuel-cell vehicles transit buses, owing to their high energy demands, do not have obvious advantages in terms of their life-cycle primary-energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared with internal combustion engine vehicles/battery electric vehicles.