Decarbonizing STIB Bus Fleet: A Multi-Criteria Comparison of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses
Abstract
This study evaluates the optimal technological pathway for the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB) to progressively decarbonize its urban surface transit fleet. A comprehensive, region-specific evaluation framework is developed, comparing Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) and Fuel Cell Electric Buses (FCEBs) across three key pillars: environmental performance, economic feasibility, and operational practicality. The methodology integrates a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a discounted Net Present Value Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model, semi-structured interviews with transit engineering experts, and a final Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) matrix. The LCA results demonstrate that environmental benefits are highly contingent upon upstream energy pathways; under an optimized low-carbon Belgian electricity mix and green hydrogen, FCEBs achieve lower lifetime emissions than BEBs (0.21 versus 0.30kgCO2e/km), though this advantage is entirely neutralized if fossil-derived grey hydrogen is used. Conversely, the TCO analysis outlines a severe economic penalty for hydrogen fleets; over a 15-year design lifespan and 675,000 km of operation, BEBs achieve a standardized unit TCO including infrastructure amortization of 1.19€/km compared to 1.84€/km for FCEBs, a gap driven by current green hydrogen market price premiums relative to grid electricity. Empirical interview results confirm that BEBs exhibit superior localized practicality due to established infrastructure compatibility, mature depot electrification roadmaps, and high power supply reliability, which offset the FCEB’s theoretical advantages in range and refueling logistics. Finally, the multi-criteria analysis confirms that BEBs represent the optimal near-to-mid-term transition pathway for STIB, securing a global suitability score of 0.94 compared to 0.76 for FCEBs.
Related
- Combined Decarbonizing Technologies for Treatment of Bauxite Residues
- Establishing new heavy metal criteria for industrial waste safety management
- Optimization of UV-C irradiation time for biologically treated saline wastewater using artificial neural networks and a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making framework
- Effect of a nutritional immunomodulator in dry cows heat stressed with an electric blanket model
- An Electron Relay Driven by Built‐in Electric Fields for Self‐Sustaining and External‐Energy‐Free Fenton‐Like Catalysis
BibTeX
@article{wolf2026decarbonizing,
title = {{Decarbonizing STIB Bus Fleet: A Multi-Criteria Comparison of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses}},
author = {Daniel De Wolf and Marine Van’t Westeinde and Chunzi Qu},
journal = {World Electric Vehicle Journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/wevj17100536},
url = {https://lilloa.hal.science/hal-05835225v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Decarbonizing STIB Bus Fleet: A Multi-Criteria Comparison of Battery Electric and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses
AU - Daniel De Wolf
AU - Marine Van’t Westeinde
AU - Chunzi Qu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/17
JO - World Electric Vehicle Journal
DO - 10.3390/wevj17100536
UR - https://lilloa.hal.science/hal-05835225v1
AB - This study evaluates the optimal technological pathway for the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (STIB) to progressively decarbonize its urban surface transit fleet. A comprehensive, region-specific evaluation framework is developed, comparing Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) and Fuel Cell Electric Buses (FCEBs) across three key pillars: environmental performance, economic feasibility, and operational practicality. The methodology integrates a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a discounted Net Present Value Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model, semi-structured interviews with transit engineering experts, and a final Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) matrix. The LCA results demonstrate that environmental benefits are highly contingent upon upstream energy pathways; under an optimized low-carbon Belgian electricity mix and green hydrogen, FCEBs achieve lower lifetime emissions than BEBs (0.21 versus 0.30kgCO2e/km), though this advantage is entirely neutralized if fossil-derived grey hydrogen is used. Conversely, the TCO analysis outlines a severe economic penalty for hydrogen fleets; over a 15-year design lifespan and 675,000 km of operation, BEBs achieve a standardized unit TCO including infrastructure amortization of 1.19€/km compared to 1.84€/km for FCEBs, a gap driven by current green hydrogen market price premiums relative to grid electricity. Empirical interview results confirm that BEBs exhibit superior localized practicality due to established infrastructure compatibility, mature depot electrification roadmaps, and high power supply reliability, which offset the FCEB’s theoretical advantages in range and refueling logistics. Finally, the multi-criteria analysis confirms that BEBs represent the optimal near-to-mid-term transition pathway for STIB, securing a global suitability score of 0.94 compared to 0.76 for FCEBs.
SN - 2032-6653
ER -