Effects of drivetrain hybridization on fuel economy, performance and costs of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle

Abstract

Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs) are considered to be the most attractive long-term option for passenger cars. Several barriers, such as cost, durability and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, must be overcome for a wider use of FCHEVs. In this paper, a mid-sized FCHEV is modeled and simulated in ADVISOR to analyze the influence of hybridization factor on vehicle performance and costs. The results are compared with those of the Toyota Mirai in order to find the optimum size of the fuel cell stack and the number of battery modules that meet various driving requirements, minimize hydrogen consumption and vehicle cost. The best results are obtained by reducing the fuel cell stack power by 58%. A 7.7% increase in equivalent fuel economy (71.6 MPGe) and a reduction of 25% in the vehicle cost is achieved.