Assessing the performance of vehicles powered by battery, fuel cell and ultra-capacitor: Application to light-duty vehicles and buses

Abstract

As alternative vehicle technologies gain more importance in the market, this work assesses the possibility of a multi power source vehicle configuration by evaluating the performance of an electric vehicle powered by battery (BEV), fuel cell (FCEV), ultra-capacitor (UC) and combination of the former. A flexible vehicle simulation model was developed in MATLAB-Simulink and vehicle performance was evaluated in various 1 Hz certified cycles, enabling the assessment of light duty and heavy-duty vehicles powered by various power sources. The developed model accurately estimates energy consumption and range of passenger vehicle with an average absolute error of less than 4% and 2% for the electric bus. The study showed that BEV has the least energy consumption (23%), followed by FCEV (65%) compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in real world conditions. Regarding the combination of energy sources, an increase in range by 10% is estimated when battery is combined with fuel cell, while combining ultra-capacitor with battery enables a lifetime extension of battery life by 10%, with negligible change in range. Combining secondary sources with fuel cell shows a reduction of total fuel cell capacity by 40% for the same operation. Analysis on ultra-capacitor showed negative response with light duty vehicle, while for buses the usage of batteries shows positive results with negative impacts on cost and recharging time. Ultra-capacitors are highly recommended for short-frequent trips with fast recharging and a life of 20 years, while fuel cells as a primary energy source are recommended for the long-range trips in coaches and trucks.