Electric Bus Range Extension
Reference System
Integration of a fuel cell system in a battery-operated/electric midi bus to extend the range.
For the integration Heliocentris used two standardized 16 kW fuel cell subsystems of the HyPM series from Hydrogenics.
The two systems were connected in series to create a module with an overall output of 32 kW. The electrical interfaces, media supply and discharge of the individual modules were linked together for the integration.
Integration of the control technology in the vehicle required the development of new interfaces and the adaptation of the control software.
The range of the bus was extended from about 20 km when using just a hybrid operated with batteries to approximately 200 km when a hybrid operation with fuel cells and batteries was used.
