Affordable and clean energy has been one of the major objectives adopted by United Nations under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this direction, fuel cell electric vehicles have gained popularity in recent times due their efficiency and environmental friendliness. Fundamentally, it uses compressed hydrogen from the vehicle-mounted tank and combines with ambient air to generate DC electricity. Water is created as a by-product and expelled through the tailpipe. The technology being integrated on powertrain architecture, along with battery pack can prove to be an efficacious approach for zero emission automotive system. However, hydrogen being the primary fuel, and being stored at high pressure, the system involves handling and potential hazards of hydrogen, and possibility of explosions due to hydrogen leaks. Hence, safety is the key issue in handling fuel cell vehicles. This paper discusses about role of Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) in providing safety and precautionary aspects for the fuel cell vehicles. UDS has been first time developed for fuel cell vehicle, in India in accordance with fault codes by fuel cell stack, applied on TML FCEV bus. It discuss about how UDS can be used to anticipate key safety issues such as hydrogen leaks, pressure monitoring system, and analyzing the Diagnostic Troubleshooting Codes (DTC) from fuel cell stack. In order to improve the dependability, durability, and safety of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), diagnostic services are essential since they assist in the real-time detection and identification of defects. Apart from identifying DTC codes from the stack, this paper also discuss about how the key UDS services like, diagnostic and communication management services, data transmission services, input output control services, etc. can be implemented for the fuel cell controller unit (FECU). As a part of novelty, the role of AUTOSAR modules such as DEM and DCM in handling the faults has also been discussed in brief.
One of the important components of the engines in the vehicles is the engine bracket. The bracket is designed to take up the load of the engine in static and dynamic conditions. Brackets from different sides of the vehicle support the vehicle engine. The bracket is designed according to the shape of the engine for different vehicles. The work done in the paper is about the modal analysis of the bracket arm used for different vehicles. A finite element analysis comparison of the conventional and topology-optimized bracket is made for a von Misses stress and deformation vehicle. Then, to check the engine bracket's dynamic analysis, the modal analysis is done. Second order differential equation is used for theoretical calculations, then the results are compared with the computational result. Additive manufacturing is done to check the design of the topology-optimized part.
When compared to traditional cars with internal combustion engines (ICEs), electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as a more environmentally friendly option. However, the widespread acceptance of EVs in India faces several obstacles, including the high cost of the technology, inadequate charging infrastructure, and limited driving range. Additionally, potential customers are concerned about the actual range of EVs, which often falls short of the certified range. The certified range is determined based on a standardized driving cycle so selecting the appropriate driving cycle for range estimation is of utmost importance. In India, the modified Indian drive cycle (MIDC) has been implemented, which is comparable to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) consists of four Urban Driving Cycles (Part I) and one Extra Urban Driving Cycle (Part II), however range measured with Part-I of the modified Indian driving cycle is considered as the approved/certified value of the electric vehicle's range.The objective of this research is to analyze the influence of standard driving cycles, namely NEDC, MIDC (Part I), and WLTC (World harmonized Light-duty vehicles Test Cycle), on the range of electric vehicles (EVs). A 1D- Vehicle simulation model has been developed to investigate the impact of these driving cycles on the range of EVs. The vehicle model is evaluated against published energy consumption values, which show a reasonable level of accuracy with an error range of 1.8% to 7.3% between simulation and experimental results for auxiliary loads of 150W to 250W on MIDC Part I cycle. The simulation findings have confirmed that the choice of driving cycle significantly affects the range of EVs. It has been observed that MIDC (Part I) is not suitable for Indian driving conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that India adopt the WLTC or an equivalent driving cycle to accurately determine the range of EVs. This will help bridge the gap between the certified range and the actual range of EVs.
A multi-material design strategy of steel and aluminium alloy is a key solution in response to stringent emission requirements and to offset the additional weight of batteries in electric vehicles. However, dissimilar Al/steel welding is mainly challenging due to the formation of brittle and hard intermetallic compounds (IMC). In order to resolve the issue of IMC formation, the present study proposed an alternative manufacturing method consisting of friction surfacing deposition and arc welding. The proposed method involves two steps for dissimilar welding: step 1, friction surfacing deposition of aluminium alloy on the steel surface and step 2, arc welding of friction surfacing deposited steel and aluminium alloy. Auxiliary friction surfacing deposition acts as a preliminary bonding and avoids the direct contact between steel and aluminium alloy during arc welding, which eludes the IMC formation at the interface. 3.15 mm thick E46 steel and 3 mm AA6061-T6 were selected as base metals to investigate the feasibility of the proposed method. The welded joints were characterized by microstructure, microhardness, and lap-shear tests. Compared to conventional arc welding, the proposed method provides better mechanical performance. Additionally, the proposed method can also be applicable to other mutually insoluble dissimilar combinations.
