Modular Fuel Cell Engines: Implementation of Requirements for the Long-Haul Heavy-Duty Truck Application

Authors

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. C. H. Mohrdieck, K. J. Eisfeld, cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG, Kirchheim Teck/Nabern; J. Kempf, Daimler Truck AG, Stuttgart:

Year

2021

Print Info

Production/Publication ÖVK

Summary

Due to strict emission regulations, the European trucking industry has to bring zero-emission vehicles to series production. For long-haul heavy-duty trucks the most viable option for achieving these targets is hydrogen fuel cell technology. There are fundamental differences in the application of fuel cells in passenger cars to heavyduty trucks. For example, heavy-duty trucks have harder durability and lifetime requirements of the fuel cell system. These tougher requirements lead to different choices in the system, i.e. a carbon composite bipolar plate instead of a coated metal bipolar plate, active anode recirculation with a hydrogen recirculation blower instead of a jet pump, and a different operational management of the system. Another truck specific challenge is the total cost of ownership (TCO) aspect of the trucking industry. Here four levers for reducing TCO have been identified: cost structure optimization of the fuel cell system due to high volume, design-to-cost method application in the development phase to optimize cost structure of the product, the optimization of the production process, and last but not least the reduction of fuel costs over the product life cycle. Especially in the production process development, groundbreaking improvements in cycle times across all production steps have been realized through various optimizations. However, the solution to these technical challenges is only one of three prerequisites that are necessary to bring hydrogen fuel cell technology to fruition. Hydrogen infrastructure and legislative framework are also required.

Number of pages

8 Order