A Review of Life Prediction Methods for PEMFCs in Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has the advantage of high energy conversion efficiency, environmental friendliness, and zero carbon emissions. Therefore, as an attractive alternative energy, it is widely used in vehicles. Due to its high nonlinearity, strong time variation, and complex failure mechanisms, it is extremely difficult to predict PEMFC life in electric vehicles. The uncertainty of life predictions for the PEMFC limits its wide application. Since it is particularly important to accurately carry out PEMFC life predictions, significant research efforts are directed toward tackling this issue by adopting effective methods. In this paper, a number of PEMFC life prediction methods for electric vehicles are reviewed and summarized. The goal of this review is to render feasible and potential solutions for dealing with PEMFC life issues considering dynamic vehicle conditions. Based on this review, the reader can also easily understand the research status of PEMFC life prediction methods and this review lays a theoretical foundation for future research.