Economic Prospects of Taxis Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Palestine

Abstract

Recently, major problems related to fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have arisen in the transportation sector. Therefore, developing transportation modes powered by alternative fuels has become one of the main targets for car manufacturers and governments around the world. This study aimed to investigate the economic prospects of using hydrogen fuel cell technology in taxi fleets in Westbank. For this purpose, a model that could predict the number of taxis was developed, and the expected economic implications of using hydrogen fuel cell technology in taxi fleets were determined based on the expected future fuel consumption and future fuel cost. After analysis of the results, it was concluded that a slight annual increase in the number of taxis in Palestine is expected in the future, due to the government restrictions on issuing new taxi permits in order to get this sector organized. Furthermore, using hydrogen fuel cells in taxi fleets is expected to become more and more feasible over time due to the expected future increase in oil price and the expected significant reduction in hydrogen cost as a result of the new technologies that are expected to be used in the production and handling of hydrogen.