MATLAB Simulation of Fuel cell Battery driven Electric Vehicle
MATLAB Simulation of Fuel cell Battery driven Electric Vehicle
𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The MATLAB Simulation of Fuel Cell Battery Driven Electric Vehicle demonstrates a hybrid electric vehicle power system in MATLAB/Simulink using a fuel cell, battery, boost converter, MPPT controller, voltage source inverter, and BLDC motor.
The main purpose of this simulation is to study how the fuel cell and battery share the vehicle power demand under different fuel-cell operating conditions.
The system is designed so that:
The fuel cell acts as the primary energy source.
The battery supports the DC bus and vehicle drive.
Excess fuel-cell power can charge the battery.
When fuel-cell power decreases, the battery automatically supplies the required power.
The BLDC motor continues operating even during a reduction or loss of fuel-cell power.
𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
The complete Simulink model contains the following major sections:
Fuel Cell Stack
Fuel and air pressure inputs
Fuel-cell voltage and current measurement
P&O MPPT controller
DC–DC boost converter
Battery energy storage system
DC-link voltage measurement
Three-phase voltage source inverter
Hall-sensor-based electronic commutation
BLDC motor
Motor speed, torque, current, and back-EMF measurements
The simplified power flow is:
Fuel Cell → Boost Converter → DC Bus → Inverter → BLDC Motor
with the battery connected to the common DC bus to provide energy balancing.
𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
Parameter | Value / Description |
Fuel cell nominal voltage | 24.223 V |
Fuel cell nominal current | 52 A |
Fuel cell nominal power | Approximately 1.26 kW |
Maximum fuel-cell operating voltage | Approximately 20 V |
Maximum fuel-cell operating current | Approximately 100 A |
Maximum fuel-cell power | Approximately 2 kW |
Battery nominal voltage | 48 V |
Battery capacity | 200 Ah |
Fuel-cell-side converter | DC–DC Boost Converter |
MPPT method | Perturb and Observe (P&O) |
Traction motor | BLDC Motor |
Motor converter | Three-phase Voltage Source Inverter |
Initial pressure condition | Approximately 1 atm |
Pressure change time | 4 s |
Reduced pressure condition | 0.5 atm |
Additional test condition | 0 atm |
𝐅𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
The fuel cell is the primary power source of the electric vehicle.
In the developed model:
The nominal fuel-cell voltage is approximately 24 V.
Its rated power is approximately 1.26 kW.
Under suitable operating conditions, the simulated output can approach 2 kW.
Fuel and air pressure are supplied as operating inputs.
Fuel-cell voltage and current are continuously measured.
The measured signals are supplied to the MPPT controller.
Important fuel-cell quantities observed during simulation include:
Fuel-cell voltage
Fuel-cell current
Fuel-cell power
Effect of pressure variation on output power
𝐃𝐂–𝐃𝐂 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫
Because the fuel-cell voltage is lower than the battery/DC-bus voltage, a boost converter is placed between the fuel cell and the DC bus.
Its main functions are to:
Increase the low fuel-cell voltage.
Interface the fuel cell with the approximately 48 V battery/DC bus.
Control the fuel-cell operating point.
Allow the MPPT controller to extract higher available power from the fuel cell.
Transfer fuel-cell energy to the traction system and battery.
The converter switching device is controlled using PWM pulses generated from the MPPT duty cycle.
𝐏&𝐎 𝐌𝐏𝐏𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥
A Perturb and Observe MPPT algorithm is used in the fuel-cell converter control.
The controller receives:
Fuel-cell voltage
Fuel-cell current
It continuously evaluates changes in the fuel-cell operating condition and modifies the converter duty cycle.
The MPPT controller includes settings such as:
Maximum duty cycle
Minimum duty cycle
Initial duty cycle
Small duty-cycle variation
The final duty-cycle command is compared with a carrier waveform to generate the required PWM switching pulse for the boost converter.
Main objective of the controller
Extract the available fuel-cell power while maintaining suitable power transfer to the DC bus.
𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞
A 48 V, 200 Ah battery is connected to the common DC bus.
The battery performs two important functions.
When fuel-cell power is sufficient
The fuel cell supplies the motor.
Excess energy can charge the battery.
Battery current becomes negative according to the simulation's adopted current direction.
Battery SOC can increase.
When fuel-cell power is insufficient
The battery starts supplying additional power.
Battery current changes to positive.
The battery supports the BLDC motor.
Battery SOC starts decreasing.
This allows the hybrid system to maintain vehicle operation even when the fuel-cell output changes significantly.
𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬
Fuel-Cell Condition | Battery Current | Battery Mode | SOC Behaviour |
Fuel-cell power greater than motor requirement | Negative | Charging | Increases |
Fuel-cell power approximately balances demand | Near balanced value | Power balancing | Nearly stable |
Fuel-cell power insufficient | Positive | Discharging | Decreases |
Fuel-cell power becomes almost zero | Positive | Strong battery support | Decreases |
𝐁𝐋𝐃𝐂 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞
The electric vehicle traction system uses a Brushless DC Motor (BLDC).
The motor is supplied through a three-phase voltage source inverter.
The drive system includes:
DC-link input
Three-phase inverter
BLDC motor
Hall sensors
Rotor position detection
Back-EMF information
Electronic commutation logic
Inverter switching pulse generation
𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜
The BLDC motor requires proper electronic commutation.
Hall sensor signals are used to determine rotor position. Based on these signals, the controller determines the appropriate inverter switching sequence.
The switching logic generates commands for inverter devices such as:
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q5
Q6
Correct switching of these devices produces the required phase currents and electromagnetic torque for motor operation.
𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
The overall simulation operates in the following sequence:
The fuel cell generates DC electrical power.
Fuel-cell voltage and current are measured.
The P&O MPPT controller determines the required duty cycle.
The boost converter increases the fuel-cell voltage to the required DC-bus level.
Fuel-cell power is transferred to the common DC link.
The battery charges or discharges depending on the available fuel-cell power.
The voltage source inverter converts DC power into controlled three-phase power.
Hall sensor signals determine BLDC rotor position.
Electronic commutation generates inverter switching pulses.
The BLDC motor produces the required vehicle speed and torque.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭
One of the important studies performed in this simulation is the variation of fuel-cell fuel/air operating pressure.
Three major operating conditions are investigated.
Simulation Condition | Pressure | Expected Behaviour |
Normal operation | 1 atm | High fuel-cell power |
Reduced pressure | 0.5 atm | Fuel-cell power decreases |
Fuel supply loss test | 0 atm | Fuel-cell output falls close to zero |
The pressure is initially maintained near 1 atm and is changed at approximately 4 seconds during the simulation.
𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
Several electrical and mechanical quantities are monitored in MATLAB/Simulink.
Fuel Cell Results
The simulation displays:
Fuel-cell voltage
Fuel-cell current
Fuel-cell power
At the higher pressure condition, the fuel cell delivers considerably more power and can approach approximately 2 kW in the demonstrated operating region.
When the pressure is reduced, fuel-cell output power decreases.
Battery Results
The following battery parameters are monitored:
Battery voltage
Battery current
State of Charge (SOC)
A clear change in battery current can be observed when the fuel-cell pressure is reduced.
When sufficient fuel-cell energy is available:
Battery current is negative → Battery charging
When fuel-cell power becomes insufficient:
Battery current becomes positive → Battery discharging
Battery SOC Response
The SOC response clearly demonstrates the energy-management behaviour.
Before the loss of fuel-cell power:
Battery charging takes place.
SOC gradually increases.
After fuel-cell output becomes very low:
The battery starts supplying the motor.
SOC gradually decreases.
This demonstrates automatic energy sharing between the two sources.
𝐁𝐋𝐃𝐂 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬
The model also monitors important motor quantities including:
Stator current
Back EMF
Rotor speed
Electromagnetic torque
A major observation is that the motor can continue operating when fuel-cell power falls because the battery compensates for the missing power.
Therefore, even during the fuel-cell pressure disturbance:
Rotor speed can remain approximately constant.
Electromagnetic torque remains supported.
Stator current continues supplying the machine.
Back-EMF waveform remains available.
Vehicle propulsion is maintained by battery support.
𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
Operating Condition | Fuel Cell | Battery | BLDC Motor |
Normal fuel-cell operation | Main power source | Charging/support | Runs normally |
Reduced fuel-cell pressure | Reduced power | Provides additional support | Continues running |
Fuel-cell output near zero | Little or no useful power | Main power source | Continues running |
Fuel-cell power restored | Supplies load again | Returns toward charging/balancing | Runs normally |
𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬
Fuel-cell and battery hybrid electric vehicle simulation
Complete model developed in MATLAB/Simulink
24 V-class fuel-cell system
Approximately 1.26 kW nominal fuel-cell rating
Up to approximately 2 kW demonstrated fuel-cell power
48 V, 200 Ah battery
DC–DC boost converter
P&O MPPT controller
PWM-based converter control
BLDC motor traction drive
Three-phase voltage source inverter
Hall-sensor-based electronic commutation
Fuel-cell pressure disturbance analysis
Battery charging and discharging operation
Battery SOC monitoring
Motor speed and torque analysis
Fuel-cell voltage, current, and power monitoring
Battery voltage and current monitoring
BLDC stator current and back-EMF analysis
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
This MATLAB/Simulink model is useful for studying:
Fuel-cell electric vehicles
Hybrid energy storage systems
Fuel-cell power conditioning
Electric vehicle traction drives
BLDC motor control
DC–DC converter control
MPPT techniques
Hybrid source power management
Battery charging and discharging behaviour
Battery SOC analysis
Electric vehicle energy-management strategies
Fuel-cell operating-condition analysis
Power electronics control in electric mobility
Renewable and clean-energy transportation systems
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
Students, researchers, and engineers can understand:
How a fuel cell is integrated with an EV powertrain.
Why a DC–DC boost converter is required.
How P&O MPPT controls the fuel-cell converter.
How a battery supports a fuel-cell vehicle.
How battery charging and discharging occur automatically.
How fuel-cell pressure affects generated power.
How a BLDC motor is driven using a three-phase inverter.
How Hall sensors are used for electronic commutation.
How hybrid sources improve continuity of vehicle propulsion.
How SOC, motor speed, torque, current, and power can be analyzed in Simulink.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
The MATLAB Simulation of Fuel Cell Battery Driven Electric Vehicle demonstrates an effective hybrid power architecture combining a fuel cell, battery, DC–DC boost converter, MPPT control, inverter, and BLDC motor.
The simulation clearly illustrates the key advantage of combining a fuel cell with battery storage. Under normal fuel-cell operation, the fuel cell supplies the traction system and can charge the battery. When fuel-cell power decreases because of a pressure reduction, the battery automatically supplies the required additional power.
Even when the fuel-cell output becomes very low, the battery can maintain the BLDC motor operation, demonstrating effective power sharing and continuous electric propulsion.
This MATLAB/Simulink model provides a simple and practical platform for understanding fuel-cell electric vehicles, battery energy management, MPPT control, power electronic converters, and BLDC motor drives.
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