Assessing the performance of vehicles powered by battery, fuel cell and ultra-capacitor: Application to light-duty vehicles and buses

As alternative vehicle technologies gain more importance in the market, this work assesses the possibility of a multi power source vehicle configuration by evaluating the performance of an electric vehicle powered by battery (BEV), fuel cell (FCEV), ultra-capacitor (UC) and combination of the former. A flexible vehicle simulation model was developed in MATLAB-Simulink and vehicle performance was evaluated in various 1 Hz certified cycles, enabling the assessment of light duty and heavy-duty vehicles powered by various power sources. The developed model accurately estimates energy consumption and range of passenger vehicle with an average absolute error of less than 4% and 2% for the electric bus. The study showed that BEV has the least energy consumption (23%), followed by FCEV (65%) compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in real world conditions. Regarding the combination of energy sources, an increase in range by 10% is estimated when battery is combined with fuel cell, while combining ultra-capacitor with battery enables a lifetime extension of battery life by 10%, with negligible change in range. Combining secondary sources with fuel cell shows a reduction of total fuel cell capacity by 40% for the same operation. Analysis on ultra-capacitor showed negative response with light duty vehicle, while for buses the usage of batteries shows positive results with negative impacts on cost and recharging time. Ultra-capacitors are highly recommended for short-frequent trips with fast recharging and a life of 20 years, while fuel cells as a primary energy source are recommended for the long-range trips in coaches and trucks.

Automated summary

This study assessed the feasibility of various power source configurations for vehicles, finding that electric vehicles perform the best in terms of energy consumption. Combining different power sources can significantly affect vehicle range and energy efficiency, with ultra-capacitors suitable for short frequent trips and fuel cells recommended for long-range coaches and trucks.