Fuel cell electric powertrains have some specific requirements and also a number of common elements with other electrified heavy-duty vehicles. There are opportunities in each of these areas and also in integration of components to reduce part count and improve efficiency.
Fuel cell DC-DC
- Used to control fuel cell output
- Voltage drops around 25% from low to high power (eg 400-300V)
- Usually operating at 650V output for heavy duty vehicles but can be higher
- 50kW to 200kW for bigger vehicles
- Average efficiency >90% across the power range of a fuel cell
Electric drive
- Axles or motors with or without transmission
- Torque at slow speed - 3000-4000Nm at 0rpm
- Power output >250kW
- Drive output equivalent to continuous engine speeds @ 2500-3000rpm
- Motor inverters at 650V DC input and to match motor power requirements
Power distribution and integration
- High voltage distribution components
- High voltage to low voltage (24V) conversion
- Inverter integration with motors and drives
- Integration of fuel cell DC-DC, power distribution and inverters
The survey asked about interest and capabilities for current technology and the R&D requirements to develop improvements on the current state of the art.
