of expertise in order to achieve even
greater value for the end user. AVL
has been working on several fuel
cell projects for over 18 years with
both PEM and SOFC technology.
The company has also completed
powertrain projects with passenger
vehicle OEMs, truck, bus and stationary
applications.
Of all electric vehicle technologies,
fuel cells have a great deal to offer,
but also have substantial obstacles
to tackle – most notably, cost. And
so, in February 2017, and together
with a consortium of industry experts,
we embarked on a project to
integrate a fuel cell system into a
vehicle as economically and with
as much system maturity as possible.
The project, which was funded
by the Austria Research Promotion
Agency’s e!MISSION program,
was named KEYTECH4EV, key
technology for electric vehicles,
and it had some clear stated targets:
• Energy efficiency compared to
2.5 L gasoline (equivalent) per
100 km
• Reduction of powertrain cost by
15 %
• Zero CO2
• Reduction of fuel cell degradation
rate by 50 %
• Range above 500 km
• Driveability targets like comparable
series type vehicles
“The goal of the project was to demonstrate
the possibility of building
a fuel cell car with the largest
number of readily available commercial
fuel cell-specific components
and thus achieve a reduction
in the development costs,” says
William Resende, Senior Product
Manager, Fuel Cell, at AVL. “And
the first step in the project was to
choose a vehicle.”
WE HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
OF ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAINS.
WILLIAM RESENDE • Senior Product Manager Fuel Cell, AVL
DEFINING THE REQUIREMENTS
The decision was made to carry out the conversion work on a hybrid VW
Passat GTE. We performed vehicle-level simulations on our proprietary
tool AVL CRUISE™ to evaluate powertrain and component requirements
to meet desired performance levels such as top speed and acceleration.
After we had defined the system requirements, we turned to our consortium
partners – ElringKlinger, Hoerbiger, IESTA, HyCentA, Magna, TU
Graz and TU Vienna – to help us execute our vision.
“After the system requirements were defined, a system design was created
and the components were purchased,” says Resende. “We then made
use of our large testing infrastructure in Graz, Austria, to characterise the
components on the respective test stations.”
CONTROL STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
The controls and operating strategy of the vehicle was created with a variety
of functions, and it was integrated into a unique prototype control unit. AVL
RPEMS (Rapid Prototyping Engine Management System) was used as an interim
development tool to enable fast software modifications using automatic
code generators. More testing was conducted at the facilities of consortium
member HyCentA, and the system was then integrated into the vehicle.
At this point the Preliminary Vehicle Safety concept was created, ensuring
the vehicle was compliant with the relevant standards and regulations for the
technology involved. This included a Hazard and Risk Analysis (HARA), a
GAP Analysis (GAPA) and a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
Nearly three years after the project
began, in January 2020, the final vehicle
with its complete fuel cell system
integrated demonstrated that all
targets were achievable.
“AVL and our partners have brought
the reality of an affordable, accessible
fuel cell system a little bit closer to
market acceptance,” says Resende.
“And we have paved the way for the
next generation of electrified powertrains.”
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