Lei Yu, Xinhao Lin, Yinliang Liu, Shuyin Duan, Lvzerui Yuan, Yiyong Lei, Xueyan Wu, Wei Li
The rapid adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) hub accentuates the mismatch between renewable-based hydrogen supply in Hebei and concentrated demand in Beijing and Tianjin. We develop a mixed-integer linear model that co-configures a hydrogen pipeline network and optimizes hourly flow schedules to minimize annualized cost and CO2 emissions simultaneously. For 15,000 HFCVs expected in 2025 (137 t d−1 demand), the Pareto-optimal design consists of 13 production plants, 43 pipelines and 38 refueling stations, delivering 50 767 t yr−1 at 68% pipeline utilization. Hebei provides 88% of the hydrogen, 70% of which is consumed in the two megacities. Hourly profiles reveal that 65% of electrolytic output coincides with local wind–solar peaks, whereas refueling surges arise during morning and evening rush hours; the proposed schedule offsets the 4–6 h mismatch without additional storage. Transport distances are 40% < 50 km, 35% 50–200 km, and 25% > 200 km. Raising the green hydrogen share from 10% to 70% increases total system cost from USD 1.56 bn to USD 2.73 bn but cuts annual CO2 emissions from 142 kt to 51 kt, demonstrating the trade-off between cost and decarbonization. The model quantifies the value of sub-day pipeline scheduling in resolving spatial–temporal imbalances for large-scale low-carbon hydrogen supply.