HyLite Project: Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle as a Technology Platform

Abstract

The automotive industry is the main driver for pushing the fuel cell technology to its present status. However, the role of the supplier industry, which has to develop innovative components and parts for the fuel cell system and the electrical drive train is also of crucial importance for the final success of fuel cell powered vehicles. In order to support the supplier industry developing advanced components for fuel cell vehicles, German Aerospace Center created a technology development platform. That means that DLR operates test benches and provides simulation and modelling capacities to support the supplier industry developing components for automotive fuel cell systems. The first project running on the platform was the HyLite project. Within the HyLite project DLR operated a fuel cell system test bench and also an electrical drive train and storage test bench. After a three year development phase DLR and partners demonstrated recently the final result of the HyLite project: a fuel cell powered hybrid vehicle. The paper gives examples how the technology platform provided the basis for this result, e.g. by characterization of components, experimental investigation of system dynamics respectively operation strategies and applying system simulation for system and controller development.