Evaluation of a Fuel Cell for Powering the Electrical Load of ICE Vehicles

This paper describes the implementation and testing of a fuel cell system for powering the on-board electrical load of a pick-up truck that is being converted to a hydrogen-internal combustion engine. The fuel cell is assisted by a supercapacitor bank during engine starting which requires a much larger current. The sizing of the system components is determined from actual current demand of various loads. This new power source will replace the 12 Volt battery and alternator found in the conventional vehicle. Laboratory tests including supercapacitor charging, engine starting, and load switching are presented.