Modelling and simulation of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle powertrain

Abstract

Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV) has experienced significant growth in the past decade due to technology improvement. However, for it to have a significant share of the electric vehicle market, the travel range, response time, and general performance must be improved. Therefore, evaluating the performance and behavior of individual components of the vehicle is crucial because it increases its efficiency and performance but reduces test time and cost. This paper presents the modelling and simulation of FCHEV powertrain using MATLAB/Simulink. The system provides different performance parameters of the fuel cell, battery pack, and electric motor by considering vehicle speed and torque produced. A constant current drawn from the fuel cell is fed into the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) then used to charge the lithium-ion battery while individual behaviour is evaluated.