Integrated control method for a fuel cell hybrid system

To apply a fuel cell engine (FCE) on a hybrid electric vehicle, an integrated control method is put forward according to the driving characteristics of the vehicle. The FCE's Output power is self-regulated to minimize hydrogen consumption and at the same time to meet the driving power requirement of the vehicle. For the difference of the power output dynamics, the actual power difference between the FCE and the vehicle load is compensated passively by a secondary power battery pack. Vehicle experiments show that the fuel cell hybrid system works well without any adverse influence on the vehicle power performance. (C) 2008 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.