Management Optimization of Fuel Cell Electric Bus Fleet in Urban Areas

Most countries globally have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions because of climate change. The only transport sector accounts for 25% of the total emissions. The EU commitment to climate change has recently expanded with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030) and the Paris Agreement. As a result of these agreements, the EU has set itself short- and long-term targets: the former aim to achieve a 40% reduction in CO
2
emissions by 2030 compared to 1990, the latter aim for Carbon Neutrality by 2050. In the field of public transport, to date almost all buses are powered by traditional fuels; however, they represent a key component of the public transport system as they are the most widely used vehicle for urban passenger transport. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the technical characteristics of the refueling station for a fleet of hydrogen buses on the queue time. To this aim, it proposes a procedure for optimising fleet management, in terms of the daily departure sequence of buses, in order to minimise queuing time and thus reduce drivers’ shifts at parity of hydrogen refueling station design.