Design, Construction And Testing Of A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Vehicle

We have designed, built and tested a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle. The vehicle was constructed to specifications set forth for an international competition, which challenges high schools and universities to build and test energy efficient vehicles. We use a commercially available polymer exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system with a maximum output of 1.2 kW (1.6HP). The three-wheeled vehicle has a welded frame design utilizing aluminum square tubular components, an Ackermann steering system and an aerodynamically efficient hand-molded fiberglass body. A hub motor/controller powers the single rear wheel. Vehicle performance was determined in the laboratory. Performance curves for fuel consumption, torque and efficiency are presented. The vehicle successfully competed in the hydrogen fuel cell division of the competition.