A Low-Cost Battery-Less Power Train for Small Fuel Cell Vehicle Applications

The design and performance are described of a complete fuel cell-based power train for a small delivery vehicle. For low cost and simplicity, the power train comprises a single unidirectional DC-DC converter to interface the fuel cell, with a supercapacitor power buffer that is connected directly across the DC-link of the traction drive. The paper describes the overall design of the power train, in particular focusing on the development and performance of the control algorithm that is required to manage the energy flow between the fuel cell, super capacitors and traction system, a key objective being to minimize the transient loading of the fuel cell. A computer based model is used to design the controller and the results are validated by comparison with data from a dynamometer-based test rig of the complete power train for typical driving cycles.