Golf Car Application Based Performance Analysis of a Generic Neighborhood Fuel Cell Vehicle (NFCV) Powertrain

In this work, a preliminary lay out of hybrid fuel cell-battery vehicle is developed and a 2012 GEM eL Golf car is evaluated and designed for analogous vehicle requirements. Packaging of electrified powertrain modules have been assessed and proposed. Further, the conceptual design is simulated as a series hybrid PEM fuel cell-Li-ion battery vehicle model in Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT®) software. The output performance of the vehicle with the proposed electrified powertrain components is obtained, analyzed and the results are deemed satisfactory and in par with the performance of the conventional vehicle. This design can be implemented in the long run to general vehicles also, thus creating independence from fossil fuels.