Quantitative Risk Assessment for Fuel Cell Electric Bus Hydrogen Storage and Refueling Facility

Hydrogen-powered bus fleet deployment is being explored in several municipalities across the United States, and it is important to understand potential risks and safety implications of regular hydrogen fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) operations such as refueling. We conducted a quantitative risk assessment for the hydrogen production, storage, compression, and refueling operations for a generic FCEB bus fleet, focusing on the risk of annual frequency of fatality due to potential hydrogen leaks, for a person in the vicinity of the facility. We discuss relative risk contributions by component and physical outcome (i.e., jet fires and explosions) and provide insight into appropriate hazard and risk prevention and mitigation related to design, operations, and personnel training. We also tabulate component leak frequency data and outcome probabilities through customized fault trees and event sequence diagrams, respectively, to demonstrate how to determine appropriate data and inputs for other/future risk assessments.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2999158
• Supplemental Notes:
  • The contents of this publication reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Transportation Research Board or the National Academy of Sciences.
• Corporate Authors:

  Sandia National Laboratories

  Albuquerque, NM  United States 

  Sandia National Laboratories

  Livermore, CA  United States 

  Department of Energy

  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  1000 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20585

  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  ,    

  Port of Portland

  700 NE Multnomah Street, P.O. Box 3529
  Portland, OR  United States  97208

  Portland International Airport

  Portland, OR  United States 
• Authors:
  • Louie, Melissa S
  • Miletic, Marina
  • Ehrhart, Brian D
• Publication Date: 2025-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 50p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric buses; Fatalities; Fuel cell vehicles; Hydrogen storage; Leakage; Refueling; Risk assessment; Vehicle safety
• Subject Areas: Energy; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01985229
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAND2025-12476
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 7 2026 5:08PM