Improving the Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicle Drivetrain by Implementing a Novel Optimal Real-Time Power Management Strategy
(FCEV_Improv)
Contract no.: 58PED/2025
Project Code: PN-IV-P7-7.1-PED-2024-0567
Project implementation period: 09.01.2025 – 30.09.2026
The major challenge faced by the ongoing research of hybrid powertrains is to develop real-time implementable power management strategies (PMS) that can provide solutions under unknown driving cycles and unforeseen driving cases.
A new supervisory control strategy dedicated to the optimal power management of a 3-source (FC-Bat-UC) fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCEV) powertrain will be elaborated and validated in order to improve fuel efficiency without deteriorating performance. Starting from rule-based strategies, characterized by reduced complexity and computational effort, and combining them with global and multi-objective optimization algorithms to counteract their major drawback of lack of optimality, an appropriate power management controller will be developed to harmonize the often conflicting optimization objectives involved in MPSs, such as the FC fuel consumption, the SoC deviation of the storage components, their aging and cost. The different operating modes of the MPSs powertrain, each having one or more degrees of freedom, will be selected automatically in successive decision layers, or by driver, depending on driving mode and the real drive cycle characteristics. The PMS will be first tested with emulated hardware components in a DSpace HiL system, using a standardized drive cycle, and then implemented and finally tested on the existing parallel topology FCEV demonstrator, accomplished in a foregoing experimental- demonstrative project, whose operation uses now a power-splitting strategy based on a backward model using the fuel cell efficiency map. The novel PMS will be tested and demonstrated on realistic, unknown driving cycles, opening the door to future innovation
Coordinator (CO) – National Institute for Research and Development for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies ICSI Rm. Valcea; ICSI ENERGY
Project Director: Prof. dr. eng, Nicu Bizon
Members: CS I Dr. mat. Carcadea Elena, CSII eng. Iliescu Mariana, CS II Dr. eng. Culcer Mihai, CS III eng. Raceanu Mircea, IDT I Dr. eng. Enache Adrian, CS eng. Nasture Ana, IDT eng. Corbu Alin
Partner (P): BEIA Consult International Bucharest
Project Manager: CS III eng. Silion Madalin
Members: CS III eng. Luminaroiu Lucian, CS eng. Beceanu Cristian.
The project scope is to design and validate an advanced new supervisory control strategy dedicated to the optimal real-time power management of a 3-source (fuel cell, rechargeable battery and ultracapacitor) hybrid electric vehicle powertrain, thus contributing to the increasing of its competitiveness. This strategy will consider the integration of optimized parameters that limit the fuel cell and battery current through the third source, namely the ultracapacitor. The parameters must be optimized with respect to multiple and conflicting objectives such as minimization of both fuel consumption and state-of-charge (SoC) deviation. The strategy will be real-time implementable and will be capable of providing instantaneous optimal solutions based on multiple objectives, which represents a problem of great complexity.
The general project objectives are:
1. Developing power management strategies (PMS) for a fuel cell/battery/ultracapacitor powertrain for electric vehicles, optimized from the point of view of fuel economy, lifetime and cost.
2. Using the knowledge generated by previous research steps for transition to a higher level of technological maturity (demonstrator and technology validated in the laboratory) of the developed power management strategies;
3. Increasing the capacity of the partners to generate laboratory validated solutions for technologies and services and to provide them to industry.
The principal project objective is the experimental validation of the real-time power management strategy for fuel optimization of a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle, with the subsequent lifespan improving by FC operating regime and battery SoC range restricting, all these summed up in what ultimately means a cost reduction.
The specific project objectives are:
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To propose two real-time optimal power management strategies concepts for improving the fuel efficiency without deteriorating FCEV multi-source powertrain performance.
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Preliminary testing of proposed PMS concepts on the DSpace HiL to complete their design.
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Complete the RTO PMSs proof of concept and testing them on HyDeMo vehicle.
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Validate the best performing strategy in real-world setting.
- Publish results for increasing project impact and for key stakeholder use and investment decisions.
• Development of two RTO energy management strategies for a fuel cell propulsion system;• Development of a MatLab model for two RTO energy management strategies for a fuel cell propulsion system;
• Implementation of a HiL test system;
• Report regarding HiL testing and validation on HyDeMo FCEV of the RTO energy management strategy for the multi-source fuel cell propulsion system;
• Development and submission to OSIM of a patent application;
• Organization of a project finalization workshop.
Summary Stage 1 (to be added)
Summary Stage 2 (to be added)
Total budget: 822,500 lei , of which: 750,000 lei – budgetary source and 72,500 lei – other sources.
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INCDTCI ICSI Rm.Valcea: 500,000 lei
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BEIA Consult International Bucharest: 250,000 lei – budgetary source and 72,500 lei – own contribution.
• Stage 1
Design and modeling of an innovative RTO strategy dedicated to the power management of a multi-source propulsion system for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV); Development of the HiL platform for prototyping the power control software.
Total budget: 465,200 lei , of which 424,800 lei – budgetary sources and 40,400 lei – other sources.
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INCDTCI ICSI Rm.Valcea: 283200 lei
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BEIA Consult International Bucharest: 141 600 lei (budget) and 40 400 lei (own contribution)
• Stage 2
Testing and validating RTO strategies for power management of the multi-source fuel cell propulsion on HyDeMo FCEV.
Total budget: : 357,300 lei, of which: 325,200 lei from budgetary sources and 32,100 lei from other sources.
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INCDTCI ICSI Rm.Valcea: 216,800 lei (budget)
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BEIA Consult International Bucharest: 108,400 lei (budget) and 32,100 lei (own contribution)