Optimizing hydrogen transportation system for mobility via compressed hydrogen trucks

The use of hydrogen in road transportation is one of the promising alternatives to conventional fuel. However, the definition of an adequate cost-effective infrastructure is still the main barrier restraining its deployment. Therefore, this study aims to provide the minimum cost related to deploying hydrogen infrastructure based on the use of compressed gas trucks (CGT) at different pressure levels ranging from 250 to 540 bar. The levelized cost of transporting hydrogen (LCOTH) is first formulated as a function of the transported capacity and distance, and includes the costs related to compression, storage and road transportation. LCOTH is then minimized by optimizing the capacities transported by each CGT. LCOTH decreased with the transported capacity and increased with the trip distance. This cost varied from 2.7 €/kg to 0.45 €/kg with an additional peak of 0.6 €/kg around 350 km due to labour cost. Furthermore, the share of CGT at 540 bar increased with both distance and hydrogen demand from 15% below 100 km and one tonnes per day, to 99% above 100 km and 50 tonnes per day.