Life cycle costing of an ammonia-fueled internal combustion engine-driven orchard vehicle

Ammonia is gaining attention as an alternative fuel due to its carbon-free nature, the possibility of producing it from renewable sources, its existing infrastructure, and its ease of storage and transport compared to other alternatives like hydrogen. It can be particularly favorable for the decarbonization of heavy-duty machinery where electrification might pose a challenge due to high power output. In this research, the economic viability of applying ammonia, via port injection mode, as a fuel for internal combustion engine-driven mini tractor used in an orchard is tested via life cycle costing assessment. The analysis is based on a bottom-up approach i.e. the acquisition, operational and end of life costs are sourced from laboratory and literature inputs. The study considers several ammonia sources and reveals that it can economically compete with diesel: at natural gas price below 6$/MMBtu ammonia produced from natural gas-based route with CCS or electricity price below 38$/MWh for ammonia from electrolysis-based hydrogen, the ammonia is less costly on energy basis compared to diesel at 1$/l. However, an increased expenditure for constructing an ammonia-fueled vehicle results in approximately three times higher cost compared to reference diesel-fueled vehicle which is a primary challenge towards achieving economic competitiveness.