Work

Comparative cost analysis of electric, hydrogen, and mixed-fleet energy supply modes for a trackless tram line

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Trackless trams offer a medium-capacity solution, yet a unified framework for comparing alternative energy modes is lacking. Focusing on the economic dimension of sustainability, this study develops a cost model integrating fixed, operating, and user costs to evaluate battery-electric, hydrogen fuel-cell, and mixed-fleet (a combination of both) modes for trackless trams. Using operational data from Yibin's T2 line, the model quantifies vehicle procurement, energy facilities, driver wages, energy consumption, maintenance, passenger waiting, and in-vehicle time. The results show that the battery-electric mode achieves the lowest daily cost, followed by the mixed-fleet mode, with user costs dominating all modes. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the hydrogen tram procurement cost significantly affects hydrogen-based competitiveness, while extending the facility service life yields limited benefits due to user cost predominance. These findings provide a quantitative basis for energy mode selection, suggesting that reducing passenger time costs may improve system economics more than focusing solely on energy technology advances.

Source: International Journal of Sustainable Energy

DOI: 10.1080/14786451.2026.2753992

Authors: Jiaxin Guo, Tao Liu, Bo Du, Meng Xu

Institutions: Southwest Jiaotong University, Griffith University, Beijing Jiaotong University

Language: English

Topic: Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Technologies

Subfield: Automotive Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Affordable and clean energy, Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China