Technical assessment and economic analysis of zero-carbon freight road transportation vehicles

The transition to hydrogen fuel as an alternative energy source for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependency on fossil fuels. This study quantifies and compares the total costs of ownership and transportation of light-duty and heavy-duty commercial trucks, across five drivetrain technologies: conventional diesel internal combustion engine (ICE), hydrogen internal combustion engine (H 2 -ICE), battery electric vehicle (BEV), constant power fuel cell electric vehicle (C-FCEV), and variable power fuel cell electric vehicle (V-FCEV). To the best of our knowledge, the present study provides the first comparison of TCO and LCOT across all these drivetrain technologies, filling a gap in the literature and offering quantitative evidence to guide future zero-emission vehicle strategies. The findings indicate that conventional diesel remains the cost-optimal option across most driving ranges and vehicle weight classes. However, FCEVs are a competitive solution at middle to high mileages (i.e ≥ 300 km ) and for low to middle class weight (i.e 3.5 t, 5.2 t, and 18 t). Depending on the vehicle category, the levelized cost of transportation of FCEVs is 45%–55% lower than that of BEVs. • We compare battery and hydrogen trucks on a techno-economic basis. • We size the powertrains for different weight classes. • We calculate total cost of ownership and levelized cost of transportation. • Battery electric trucks are competitive for short driving ranges. • For driving ranges >300 km, fuel cell electric trucks are the best zero-emission solution.