Health-Wise Energy Management Strategies in Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles: Tools to optimize performance and reduce operational costs

Abstract

The primary objective of an energy management strategy (EMS) in fuel cell (FC) hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is twofold: to minimize hydrogen consumption and to extend the lifetime of the power sources. However, these power sources are susceptible to degradation under various operational and ambient conditions, be it from cycling or calendar aging. To achieve optimal performance, the EMS must consider variations in the power sources’ characteristics due to degradation. This article succinctly discusses the necessity of employing a health-wise EMS and the indispensable tools it requires, such as health-monitoring techniques. Subsequently, the study investigates the impact of a health-wise EMS on the total operational cost of a low-speed urban FC-HEV truck through simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that health-wise EMSs can significantly reduce fuel consumption and mitigate FC and battery degradations, resulting in a noteworthy reduction in the total operational cost.