A Technical and Economical Evaluation for the Potential of Using Fuel Cells as Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles in MENA Region

Electric vehicles are gaining popularity as an alternative to conventional gasoline-powered vehicles since they provide a cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of mobility. The market of electric vehicles is expanding, and the availability of dependable and effective sustainable charging infrastructure is needed to satisfy this expansion. This has prompted researchers to look for innovative alternative charging systems that can offer effective charging while reducing emissions such as fuel cells. In this study, the viability and sustainability of employing fuel cells as electric vehicle charging stations in Egypt, as an example of the MENA region, were studied from the technical and economic point of views. The technical analysis used a simulation for the whole fuel cell system, which was provided by MathWorks MATLAB Simulink software. The economic analysis for the system included the capital and the operational costs for two hydrogen sources, grey hydrogen, and green hydrogen. The results showed that 2 Kg of hydrogen can produce about 50 kWh of energy, which is enough to charge one standard car from zero level, resulting in a hydrogen consumption rate of approximately 0.040 kg/kWh. The economic analysis showed that the hydrogen fuel costs over a span of 20 years a total cost of $1,008,425 and $2,554,363 for grey hydrogen and green hydrogen respectively and the selling price should be $0.086 per kWh for grey hydrogen and $0.22 per kWh for green hydrogen.