Propulsion System Strategies for Fuel Cell Vehicles

Fuel cell vehicles promise to be far more efficient, produce low or zero emissions, and operate cleaner than conventional vehicles. The main components of the fuel cell vehicles are: Reformer, Fuel Cell Stack, DC/DC converter, Battery, Inverter, and the Drive Motor. Using these units, the vehicle can be configured with or without the reformer and with or without the battery pack. This paper discusses the fuel cell vehicle configurations and the control strategies for each of these configurations. The advantages and limitations are also presented. The strategies for operating the DC/DC converter to make the output of the fuel cell stack compatible with the input requirements of the inverter to control the motor over a wide speed and torque ranges are presented. The propulsion system and control issues, the power electronics issues, and selection of the rotating machines for a fuel cell vehicle are presented.