Hydrogen Fuel Cell Application for Port Drayage Truck: Integrated Transportation and Energy Modeling

Abstract: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) provide a viable pathway for the decarbonization of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs). In particular, port drayage trucks reap significant decarbonization benefits from transitioning to a green hydrogen FCEV fleet. However, accurate quantification of hydrogen demand is essential for the optimal and economical design of hydrogen refueling stations (HRS). Most of the existing studies employ energy demand models based on macroscopic trucking activities with assumed fleet behavior and FCEV technology. These models fail to capture variations in demand at specific locations. This study addresses this issue by developing a data-driven microscopic simulation approach to model energy demand at high spatial resolution for drayage trucks. To train the model, a novel dataset based on conventional diesel truck activities was employed, and vehicle mass and drivetrain efficiencies were converted to hydrogen FCEV equivalents. The proposed model was validated using operational data from a second drayage operator location. This validated energy demand model was integrated into various HRS design scenarios to estimate the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Finally, the integrated model was extended to an economic analysis framework to assess the viability of different green hydrogen infrastructures for a specific drayage fleet. Based on the microscopic energy demand model, the average drayage truck energy efficiency is 0.15 kg/H2/mi. To achieve a 25% share of FCEVs, the Southern California drayage fleet needs 165 US tons of H2 per day, highlighting the need for nearly doubling renewable energy generation to support green or blue hydrogen demand.