Two-Stage Optimization Method for Sizing Stack and Battery Modules of a Fuel Cell Vehicle Based on a Power Split Control

Abstract

Currently, hybrid and battery electric vehicles are the best-selling green cars commercially available. However, there is a growing interest in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCVs). Nevertheless, due to the unidirectional nature of energy transformation in an FCV, an auxiliary energy storage system (ESS) is required to cope with peak power demand and recover braking energy. In this paper, we propose a joint algorithm for sizing both the fuel cell (FC) stack and an auxiliary storage system, taking into account the power split strategy between the two energy sources. Moreover, a novel power split method is introduced based on the lumped resistance of both the FC stack and lithium-ion battery modules. Several simulation results implementing different driving cycles prove that the proposed sizing procedure is able to reduce the fuel consumption of the FCV and increase the expected lifetime of both the FC stack and lithium-ion battery modules according to a given power split strategy.