Towards Sustainable Urban Transportation: A Multi-Objective Framework for Optimizing Hydrogen Refueling Station Locations in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Abstract

The transportation sector significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating sustainable solutions like fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). However, developing hydrogen refueling infrastructure requires balancing economic feasibility, driver accessibility, and safety. This thesis presents a multi-objective framework for optimizing hydrogen refueling station (HRS) locations in Halifax, Canada, addressing stakeholder priorities through three studies validated with Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) data.

The first study proposes a tri-objective framework balancing economic, fairness, and driver preference considerations while assessing fire hazards using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The second introduces a bi-objective model incorporating demand uncertainty, leveraging the φ-divergence method and Benders Decomposition for efficiency. The final study extends this to a bi-level model, allowing drivers independent decision-making. It also applies the conditional β-mean approach to enhance fairness and social equity, offering a reliable methodology for sustainable urban transportation planning.