Drawer, ChrisChrisDrawerBornemann, LukaLukaBornemannKaltschmitt, MartinMartinKaltschmitt2026-04-092026-04-092026-05-01Energy Conversion and Management X 30: 101770 (2026)https://hdl.handle.net/11420/62542To meet global greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals, the shipping sector must also be defossilized. Hydrogen-powered systems could be particularly advantageous for short- and medium-range routes, such as ferries for river or strait crossings. For such applications, metal hydrides offer a promising way to store the hydrogen needed to power the respective ship's propulsion system. In such metal hydrides, hydrogen can be stored safely and without any storage losses under ambient conditions (pressure/temperature). To evaluate the suitability of these metal hydride storage systems as part of a hydrogen-powered propulsion system on ships, the design and operation of ships with metal hydride storage systems must be examined in direct comparison with battery-driven and diesel-powered systems. Therefore, the overarching goal of this paper is based on an optimization-based approach to investigate how a metal hydride system can be operated and designed in a technically and economically viable manner. Furthermore, the environmental performance resulting from such a system is analyzed. The findings show that fuel costs (hydrogen system: 92%, battery system: 85% of total costs) significantly affect the economic viability. Compared to a battery-powered system and a diesel-driven system, the hydrogen-powered system requires the least amount of space. It remains a viable option even with less favorable discharge rates (ranging from 0.03 to 1.0 kW/kWh) of the metal hydride storage system. Thus, if the hydrogen fuel costs decline in the future, such a hydrogen-powered propulsion system for ships could be an alternative to pure battery-based systems. Additionally, the hydrogen-powered system can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to a diesel-powered system as long as “green” hydrogen is used.en2590-17452026Elsevierhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Hydrogen-powered ferry designMetal hydride storagePropulsion system optimizationTechno-economic analysisTechnology::623: Military Engineering and Marine Engineering::623.8: Naval Architecture; ShipbuildingSocial Sciences::333: Economics of Land and Energy::333.7: Natural Resources, Energy and EnvironmentJournal Articlehttps://doi.org/10.15480/882.1695410.1016/j.ecmx.2026.10177010.15480/882.16954