An integrated sustainability framework for hydrogen and electric vehicle energy stations: Optimization and 7E-based multi-criteria decision-making

The transport sector accounts for about 16% of global emissions. To limit transport emissions, various countries are increasing EV market share, highlighting the urgent need for wider deployment of refueling and charging infrastructure. Thus, this study investigates renewable-powered electric and hydrogen vehicle energy stations (EHVES) considering energy, economy, environment, exergy, and economic-based hybrid criteria (energo-economic, exergo-economic, enviro-economic, and socio-economic). Fourteen EHVES configurations are developed with and without a grid connection. An integrated sustainability framework is employed, including preliminary feasibility assessment, multi-criteria optimization, and a sustainability-based multi-criteria decision-making approach, to find the most feasible configuration. This framework is utilized in Hyderabad, Pakistan. A grid-based solar PV configuration emerges as the optimal EHVES configuration, being affordable (cost of hydrogen of $4.225/kg), reliable (no unmet electric load), clean (eliminating 88.60% of emissions), exergetically efficient (12.71%), and employment-creating. Sensitivity analyses show that grid carbon intensity and carbon penalty insignificantly impact the EHVES economy. The results are specific to the case study location; however, the proposed sustainability framework is transferable to other regions. This work facilitates UN SDGs 7, 8, 11.2, 12, and 13, with significant potential for the sustainable development of EHVES globally.