Assessing the Viability of Renewable Hydrogen, Ammonia, and Methanol in Decarbonizing Heavy-duty Trucks
Fanlong Bai, Fuquan Zhao, Ming Liu, Zongwei Liu, Han Hao, David Reiner
Abstract
Decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks (HDTs) is both challenging and crucial for achieving carbon neutrality in the transport sector. Renewable hydrogen (H 2 ), methanol (MeOH), and ammonia (NH 3 ) offer potential solutions, yet their economic viability and emission benefits remain largely unexplored. This study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of using these three renewable fuels to decarbonize HDTs through detailed fuel and vehicle modeling. Six pathways are compared: hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks (FCET-H 2 ), internal combustion engine trucks using MeOH (ICET-MeOH) and NH 3 (ICET-NH 3 ), as well as three indirect pathways that utilize these fuels for power generation to charge battery electric trucks (BETs). A novel “target powertrain cost” metric is introduced to assess the economic viability of FCET-H 2 , ICET-NH 3 , and ICET-MeOH relative to BETs. The results reveal that while BET pathways demonstrate higher well-to-wheel efficiencies, significant opportunities exist for ICET-MeOH and ICET-NH 3 in medium- and long-haul applications. Furthermore, FCET-H 2 achieves the lowest life cycle carbon emissions , while ICET-MeOH and ICET-NH 3 become more cost-effective as electricity costs decline. This study offers valuable insights and benchmarks for powertrain developers and policymakers, addressing a critical gap in the comparative analysis of these three fuels for decarbonizing HDTs.