Working towards a greener future – The development of a prototype fuel cell-based vehicle

Abstract

The Shell Eco-marathon is an annual event that challenges high school and college students to design and develop energy efficient vehicles in the following categories;• Prototype: 3 or 4-wheel electrically driven vehicles using solar, hydrogen or grid charging as a source,and,• Urban Concept: 4-wheel conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines.The 2011 round takes place in Lausitz, Germany. Students of the Haagse Hoogeschool entered in the Prototype category with a four wheel hydrogen vehicle. The group comprises 5 final year engineering and business students. Each engineering student was responsible for certain tasks in the design of the prototype; such as the chassis, the fuel cell, the steering column and the braking system, while the business student was responsible for funding and sponsorships. This paper describes the initial processes involved in the selection of an appropriate fuel cell for the vehicle.Index Terms ⎯ Eco-marathon, electric vehicle, energy efficient, fuel cell.