Development of Fuel Economy Measurement Method for Fuel Cell Vehicle

A practical method of fuel economy measurement has been developed for fuel cell vehicles. The weight method was selected for study from among the various fuel economy measurement methods available for pure hydrogen-type fuel cell vehicles as a direct measurement method that was accurate and could be produced at a comparatively low cost. Solutions were provided to the drawbacks of measurement errors caused by pressure variations in the fuel pipes and lowered hydrogen purity due to air entering the pipes. This development project assisted in fuel economy measurements for the Honda FCX, the world's first market-ready fuel cell vehicle; it also provided measurement system for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests of the same vehicle, which resulted in the world's first confirmatory test of a fuel cell vehicle.