Use of hydrogen in public transport systems

Abstract

The development of urban agglomerations and changes in the lifestyle of inhabitants results in a constant increase in transport needs, which translates into negative environmental effects. One of the main challenges for cities in terms of transport is to change the transport behaviour of their inhabitants towards a sustainable approach to urban mobility and transport planning. This approach is best ensured by public transport which responds to environmental challenges by using low-emission vehicles for transport. In this aspect, the aim of the article is to present analyses related to the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in public transport systems. The method of hydrogen extraction and its use in the public transport systems consists of: the concept of hydrogen extraction, the different approaches of electricity extraction for hydrogen production, and the measures for evaluating the cost of hydrogen extraction and its impact on vehicle operating costs. In addition, this allows for the performance of the analyses of the operating costs of low-emission public transport vehicles fuelled by hydrogen, the production of which uses electricity from renewable sources. The presented method allows public transport companies to carry out analyses in this aspect, which are useful in developing strategies for the development of public transport systems. The applicability of the method was examined on the example of a public transport company, for which analyses were carried out on different fleet investment solutions. The developed results indicate to the rationality of the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, in the production of which the electric energy obtained from renewable sources should be used.