FUEL CELL HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE: A REVIEW ON CURRENT STATUS, KEY CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

A fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicle is an advanced type of hybrid vehicle that utilizes a combination of fuel-cell technology and electric propulsion for improved efficiency. The fuel cell generates electricity through a chemical reaction using hydrogen as the fuel source. This electricity powers the vehicle’s electric motor, while a battery system stores excess energy, provides additional power during acceleration, and stores regenerative braking energy. To improve the performance of fuel cell hybrids, designing and developing efficient energy management strategies is an urgent need for current automotive manufacturers. From the perspective of energy consumption, the main work is to reduce hydrogen consumption. In recent years, energy management strategies based on intelligent connected vehicle technology have also received extensive attention. Most fuel cell vehicles are classified as zero-emission vehicles that emit only water and heat. Compared with internal combustion vehicles, hydrogen vehicles centralize pollutants at the site of hydrogen production. In an electric drive vehicle, the low-voltage auxiliary battery provides electricity to start the engine before the traction battery is engaged, it also powers vehicle accessories. This high-voltage battery stores energy from regenerative braking and provides supplemental power to the electric motor. The DC converter converts higher voltage to lower voltage DC power which is needed to run the vehicle and recharge the auxiliary battery. Using power from the fuel cell and the traction battery pack, the motor drives the vehicle’s wheels. A fuel cell stack is an assembly of individual membrane electrodes that use hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. So the fuel cell electric vehicle is the best option to simultaneously reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the consumption of fossil fuels