Thermally integrated energy storage system for hybrid fuel cell electric bike: An experimental study

The hybrid fuel cell/battery technology is an attractive option for a sustainable mobility with zero emissions. In fact, this solution owns system scalability features and high effi-ciency and, compared to battery electric solutions, it offers advantages in terms of flexi-bility of use and fast charging times. However, the thermal management for the battery in this type of powertrain is a crucial issue, since operating temperatures can significantly affect safety and performance. In this study, an innovative system aimed at providing high storage energy density and improving the battery pack performance of hybrid fuel cell/ battery vehicles is investigated for use on-board of a plug-in fuel cell electric bike. The proposed system, developed by the authors in previous studies, integrates the battery pack with a hydrogen storage based on metal hydrides. The idea behind this solution is to exploit the endothermic desorption processes of hydrogen in metal hydrides to cool down the battery pack during operation. An experimental analysis is conducted to assess the thermal management capabilities of this system: by considering a typical duty cycle designed on the base of road test measurements, battery pack temperature profiles are evaluated and compared against those from a control experiment where no battery ther-mal management is enabled (i.e. no hydrogen desorption from the metal hydride tank). The results show that, beside enhancing the on-board stored energy capacity, the proposed system represents an effective solution to provide an efficient thermal management for the battery pack, with significant advantages in terms of attainable riding range. & COPY; 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The hybrid fuel cell/battery technology is a sustainable option for zero-emission mobility, offering system scalability and high efficiency. However, thermal management for the battery pack is crucial due to the impact of operating temperatures on safety and performance. An innovative system integrating a metal hydride-based hydrogen storage for cooling down the battery pack is investigated, showing advantages in energy density and thermal management capabilities.