Integration Challenges for Air Cooled Fuel Cell Systems in Vehicles

Rarely has an air cooled fuel cell system been effectively used as a power source on small vehicles due to the size restriction of the fuel cell system, coupled with the difficulty of managing the stable operation of such under automotive conditions. However the reliable and high power density performance of the Intelligent Energy proprietary technology has shown this to be possible when it was recently integrated into the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Vehicle. The unique design for fluid flow, cooling, water management and power electronics, all incorporated in an integrated package; work in conjunction with the vehicle integrator's requirements for the whole power-train.

Efficiently converting hydrogen gas into power at the drive motor was considered as a whole entity to minimize losses at all stages in the process. This meant all sub-components in the design were optimized for hydrogen utilization and were boosted by proprietary techniques to achieve a high current density at high cell voltages. The fuel cell system was initially developed to meet the requirements of a number of prototype vehicles, but latterly requirements of a production vehicle were addressed both in terms of performance, safety and regulatory standards.