Abstract: | Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been identified as promising clean energy options for the 21st century, yet their widespread adoption is hindered by their high cost. It is crucial to conduct a full life-cycle cost analysis to address this issue. However, the majority of existing research has focused solely on aspects such as component costs and fuel prices, with little consideration given to other factors, including national and local subsidy policies, operation and maintenance costs, scrap value, and economic analysis for different operating mileage and vehicle types. To provide a more comprehensive analysis, this article adopts a user-centric approach and examines various cost factors, such as purchase, operation, maintenance, residual value,energy supplementation, cold resistance, and subsidies. A robust life-cycle cost model is established to evaluate the economic benefits of different vehicle types, including passenger cars, buses, and trucks, across a range of scenarios. Moreover, the economic advantages of these vehicles are compared with those of traditional fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles. Finally, this article makes economic predictions and puts forward a set of policy recommendations. |