• Name: FCHCV
• Funder: Innovate UK
• Value: £250,000 in funding, with the University of Bedfordshire receiving £100,000
• Who is involved: One other partner - AVL Powertrain UK
• Project length: 1 year (2018-2019)

The key objectives of this project are to assess the emission benefit and driving range of fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) technology after selecting proper component sizing.

Two different hybrid vehicle architectures are considered: range-extender electric vehicles (REEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). Among commercial vehicles, light-duty commercial vehicles (e.g. delivery van), heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and buses are selected since different vehicle types would need a different system and component sizing.

Two fuel cell type (PEMFC and DMFC) will be investigated to understand which fuel cell provides the best performance for each system and vehicle type.

The outcome of this project would contribute to accelerating the electrification of a commercial vehicle. Commercial vehicle OEMs would be able to meet the government policy by providing zero emissions while offering enough driving ranges to the customer. In the end, governments and councils would be able to reduce emission from transportation while maintaining social benefit.