Simulation analysis of fuel economy of a fuel cell/battery passive hybrid power system for commercial vehicles

Abstract

Fuel cell/battery passive hybrid power systems have the potential of saving energy due to the avoidance of DC/DC power loss. However, their energy-saving effect has not been investigated in previous research. This paper studies the fuel economy of a fuel cell/battery passive hybrid system for commercial vehicles through simulation. The energy consumption of the passive hybrid configuration is compared to that of a conventional active configuration under high-speed static conditions. The results show that the passive configuration can save energy by 3%-12% under the selected condition and energy management strategy (EMS). The energy-saving percentage increases as the efficiency of the fuel cell engine increases. When the initial SOC is lower than the sustaining target of the EMS, the energy-saving effect becomes more significant. This study confirms the energy-saving effect of the fuel cell passive hybrid system.