Weighting Optimization for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles: Lifetime-Conscious Component Sizing and Energy Management

Featured Application: We develop an integrated framework for component sizing and energy management in FCEVs; integrate economic and durability metrics using a weighting factor approach; analyze the impact of battery capacity and weighting factors on system performance; and evaluate the influence of battery pricing on fuel economy and system durability. Fuel economy and system durability are critical yet interdependent performance metrics for fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHVs). This paper devises an integrated framework for optimizing component sizing and energy management in a fuel cell/battery hybrid passenger vehicle. A unified cost function is proposed, combining fuel economy and system durability through a weighting coefficient, based on a comprehensive model of the hydrogen consumption and degradation characteristics of fuel cells and batteries. Utilizing the dynamic programming (DP) algorithm, the total cost is optimized to derive the optimal weighting factors and component sizing, effectively addressing the multi-objective optimization problem and balancing efficiency and durability. Furthermore, the impact of power prices on the optimal parameters is carefully examined. The simulation results indicate that a battery capacity of 44 Ah and a fuel cell maximum power of 80 kW represent the optimal sizing configuration. A weighting factor of 0.5 achieves the minimum equivalent total cost by effectively balancing fuel economy and system durability for the light-duty fuel cell passenger vehicle. Additionally, the battery price affects the weighting factor, indicating that future reductions in power source costs will shift focus away from system durability to fuel economy in FCHV optimization. These findings provide recommendations for FCHV manufacturers to advance the application of fuel cells in passenger vehicles.