A direct borohydride peroxide fuel cell LiPO battery hybrid motorcycle prototype - II

In this study, a direct borohydride peroxide fuel cell (DBPFC)-LiPo battery hybrid motor-cycle, called HYBROTO, was developed. The hybrid system was designed using a 10-cell DBPFC stack with 120 W of maximum power as the main power source, a 12 LiPo battery pack with 6300 mAh and 65 C for energy storage and as auxiliary power source, and a brushless DC (BLDC) motor. In addition, a voltage-monitoring integrated circuit for fuel cells, a battery management unit, and a motor control circuit were developed to command the DBPFC, LiPo battery, and BLDC motor, respectively. The hybrid system was managed and synchronized by a main control unit (MCU) containing a synchronous bidirectional buck boost converter and a boost converter. For performance tests, the DBPFC battery system and BLDC motor were installed in an electric motorcycle body. Performance tests were carried out in the hybrid system under a constant load of 60 W. The hybrid system showed a satisfactory performance under the constant load with an efficiency of 67%. However, the MCU requires further improvement to provide more stable power output. The motorcycle prototype was tested at the 2016 International Symposium on Sustainable Aviation organized by the Sustainable Aviation Research Society. 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.