As a renewable energy source, the hydrogen energy receives widespread concerns. Many efforts have been devoted to the commercial application of hydrogen energy. However, the hydrogen storage technology remains one of the primary bottlenecks. A lumped parameter model is developed for the cryo-adsorptive hydrogen storage system. The variational isosteric heat of adsorption based on Dubinin-Astakhov isotherm of adsorption is successfully used for cryo-adsorption model. Lumped parameter simulation is made for charge-discharge cycle of adsorptive hydrogen storage system at cryogenic temperature by Matlab/Simulink. The change of liquid-gaseous interface of nitrogen is considered in the lumped parameter model to improve the simulation accuracy. The lumped parameter model is applied for modeling different processes and well validated by cryo-adsorption experiments. The lumped pressure and the lumped temperature during charge-discharge cycle predicted by Simulink are compared with the two dimensional simulation results by Comsol. Furthermore, the effect of the charge flow rate on the performance of the hydrogen storage system is systematically analyzed. This model provides a feasible approach for the optimization of the cryo-adsorptive hydrogen storage system. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.