Indirect Electrification Through Hydrogen: Evaluating Distributed Generation for Fuel Cell Vehicle Autonomy

The transition to cleaner transportation requires large-scale electrification; however, electric grid capacity and infrastructure limitations present significant challenges for full deployment. To address this, indirect electrification through distributed generation and the integration of alternative energy vectors such as hydrogen has emerged as a promising com-plementary strategy, particularly in urban contexts. This study investigates the feasibility of using surplus hydrogen from isolated solar photovoltaic systems installed in residential houses and buildings to power fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV s) after meeting a primary household load. The daily hydrogen availability and corresponding driving range were assessed using hardware-in-the-Ioop (HIL) simulations and real climate data from three economically developed Mexican cities. Two vehicle types (light-duty and heavy-duty passenger transport) and two standard driving profiles (the New York City Cycle, NYCC and the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure, WLTP2.) were considered. Results indicated that the available hydrogen can support average driving ranges of approximately 45 km for the light-duty vehicle and 80 km for the heavy-duty vehicle under the WLTP2 cycle, demonstrating the potential of hydrogen to support sustainable urban mobility.