Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Fuel Cell experimental characterization and modeling towards the development of a Hardware-in-the-Loop platform for advanced powertrain design

Abstract

Greenhouse gas emissions in transport sector is a critical issue, with automobiles and trucks responsible for emitting nearly 5.9Gt of CO2. Addressing climate change is then of paramount importance to avoid irreversible consequences. Advanced technologies are being developed to achieve this goal. Among them, Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCHEVs) offer several benefits, including wide applicability and range, short refueling times, and no tailpipe emissions, that can only be exploited if optimizing their design. This requires time and cost-consuming iterative processes, and Digital Twins (DTs) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test benches are then gaining importance with respect to prototype manufacturing. In this study, the basis for a HIL application is posed, including a 2kW Fuel Cell (FC) and a bidirectional DC power supply used to emulate the electric motor. After characterizing the FC, DTs have been calibrated and validated through experimental tests; DTs have then been included into a FCHEV microcar model and its performances have been analyzed. Results have shown high accuracy in representing the real FC performance, with a 5% maximum error from the energy standpoint. Moreover, HIL approach has been proved to be fundamental for catching peculiar transient phenomena, significantly impacting on the powertrain design and performance.