Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
We are researching, developing, and deploying fuel cells for transportation technologies in collaboration with DOE and industry/government partnerships as worldwide interest in hydrogen and fuel cell technology increases.
Fuel Cells for Transportation
We work directly with DOE and partners to assist with the development of fuel cell technologies for vehicle applications. Our team provides technical and programmatic support to DOE in many areas, such as efficiency and performance, losses in fuel cell processes, and water management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. We also look at the fuel cell systems, including air supply and pressurization, humidification and water balance, and thermal management. And, we focus on the fuel cell vehicle (FCV) by looking at vehicle load and performance requirements to fuel economy and greenhouse gas impacts. Below are some examples of current projects:
Evaluating hydrogen fuel cell buses
NREL's fleet test and evaluation team and partners are evaluating the experiences of three California transit agencies, SunLine Transit Agency, AC Transit, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), as they add state-of-the-art hydrogen fuel cell buses to their fleets and set up infrastructure facilities for fueling and maintenance. This project includes an extensive multi-year demonstration that will evaluate the performance, cost, and operating characteristics of the buses.
Using ADVISOR to analyze fuel cells
Our teams use ADVISOR's fuel cell modeling capability to evaluate state-of-the-art fuel cell systems. The primary role in this area is to analyze the vehicle-level impact and requirements of hydrogen storage systems in a vehicle context. Since there are only a few fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) today, ADVISOR is a critical tool help to advance the technology.
For example, we analyzed battery requirements, using ADVISOR, for two hybrid FCV platforms (mid-size car and mid-size SUV) during three drive cycles and during performance tests (e.g., acceleration and gradability). ADVISOR simulated a variety of FCV configurations, which helped define what battery requirements are needed across a range of vehicle designs.
To learn more see information about our analysis of fuel cell vehicles.
Energy storage for fuel cell vehicles
Working with industry, researchers improve energy storage devices for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Recently, our team simulated a fuel cell hybrid vehicle with an ultracapacitor energy storage system using ADVISOR. Preliminary analyses indicate that ultracapacitors can capture a significant amount of regenerative braking energy, thus enhancing fuel economy of the FCV. However, because of their limited energy storage capability, ultracapacitors provide less potential for fuel cell system downsizing. Further analysis will be done on component sizing, control strategy, and fuel economy benefits of ultracapacitors in fuel cell hybrid vehicles.
Fuel cell thermal and water management leads to energy savings
Our scientists and engineers work on fuel cell thermal and water management to save energy. A recent project revealed that heat-generated cooling in a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) is possible through the use of metal hydrides. Eliminating the air-conditioning load in a FCV increases fuel economy by 10%-50% and reduces the fuel cell stack cost by $225. Using waste heat to generate cooling for the cabin eliminates the traditional air-conditioner compressor load on the drive train. The team also showed that appropriate water balance in a FCV with a sodium borohydride hydrogen supply system could increase vehicle range, or equivalently increase fuel economy.
New tool predicts fuel savings that meet DOE Program targets
Our new technical targets analysis tool extends DOE's capabilities in petroleum consumption forecasting by analyzing the effect on U.S. petroleum consumption of light-duty vehicles that meet U.S. DRIVE technical targets. The technical targets tool also analyzes the impact and sensitivities of various DOE Program technical targets for fuel cells and hydrogen storage.
For example, a user analyzing fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) selects technical targets for fuel cell efficiency, power density, and specific power. The technical targets tool simulates a vehicle that meets these targets. It runs the vehicle through various drive cycles and calculates its fuel economy. Next, the user inputs information about a fleet of the simulated vehicles, such as rate of introduction of the new vehicles and vehicle miles traveled. The tool then predicts petroleum consumption of a U.S. fleet that includes the simulated vehicles versus consumption of a baseline fleet that doesn't include the simulated vehicles.
