A Hybrid Electric Fuel Cell Minibus: Drive Test

Meeting the worldwide energy demand for the present and future transportation systems with the least impact on the environment is a big challenge. In the i-NEXT (Innovation for greeN Energy and eXchange in Transportation) project a Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicle (FCHEV) minibus for people transportation has been implemented. This paper reports some preliminary test drive. The vehicle architecture has been developed considering that, both recharge time and autonomy of a purely electric vehicle are operational limits, and the fuel cell technology is able to enhance these parameters. An electric engine with lithium ion batteries and a 20 kW Fuel Cell System characterize the vehicle. The test drive has been carried out in Capo d’Orlando municipality (Sicily) allowing the acquisition of key data

Energy certification of buildings: A comparative analysis of progress towards implementation in European countries

The Energy Performance Building Directive (Directive 2002/91/EC) introduced the compulsory energy certification of buildings in the EU from 2006 and it has played a key role in the common policy to monitor and reduce energy consumption. In order to assess the experience gained in this field in Europe overall, and in particular against the highly diverse settings of the different European nations, this paper examines the extent to which the Directive has been implemented by the 27 EU Member States. This is done via a comparative analysis assisted by two different indicators: of uniformity and of excellence. The measure of uniformity makes it possible to assess the degree of harmony of the individual Member States with regard to the parameters laid down by the European Commission, while the measure of excellence allows the Member States to be appraised and the "best" performers to be identified, i.e. the leaders as regards energy certification of buildings. The analysis conducted reveals how varied the situation regarding energy certification in each country is in terms of implementation and scope of application and it also reveals that most countries are still at a halfway stage towards achieving excellence.EPBD implementation Energy certification Comparative analysis

Sviluppo, realizzazione e test sperimentali su strada di un powertrain ibrido a celle a combustibile e batterie per un bus urbano e sub-urbano

Dottorato di Ricerca in Ingegneria Civile ed Industriale. Ciclo XXXIIn Europe, the transport sector is responsible for almost 30% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. Among the various measures, a better urban planning, technological improvements and a wider use of alternative fuels are currently underway. Today the electrification of vehicles is an important element of the approach to sustainable mobility, and for this reason the research is aimed at developing zero/low emissions vehicles characterized by innovative carbon-free devices. The main problem of electric vehicles is the low capacity of batteries that means low range of autonomy. Furthermore, long charging time is an important obstacle if compared to refuelling time of traditional internal combustion vehicles. On the other hand, hybrid vehicles (combustion engine and electric motor), thanks to the presence of an electrical component, allow to obtain a fuel saving and to exploit the existing infrastructure, but they still depend entirely on the oil both to charge batteries and to supply the combustion engine. The technology of fuel cells, and in particular the polymer-type fuel cells (PEFCs - Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells), characterized by low noise levels, no pollutants, high energy density and short starting time can help the development of zero emission vehicles reducing batteries problems and ensuring a secure energy supply. Several vehicles based only on hydrogen technologies have been proposed, but the costs of fuel cells and hydrogen systems limit their market penetration. The roadmap on electric and plug-in electric vehicles (Technology Roadmap - Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) identifies, for the first time, a detailed scenario for the evolution of electric hybrid vehicles with fuel cells and batteries (FCHEV) that offer the possibility of combining the advantages of both technologies. In this context the present PhD thesis proposes the study concerning the development, realization and test of a hybrid electric minibus powered by batteries and fuel cells. In the first part, the description of the PEFC fuel cell technology and the analysis of the state of the art of PEFC applications in the transport sector has been treated and some information about applications in stationary and portable applications have been reported (Chapter 1). Before discussing the proposed powertrain for the hybrid electric minibus a vehicles classification has been shown, conventional hybrid powertrains (electric motor and internal combustion engine) in different possible hybridization levels, pure electric powertrains and finally hybrid electric powertrains (batteries and fuel cells). With reference to this latter powertrain, the state of the art of fuel cell buses has been analyzed and, finally, the selected architecture for the proposed powertrain has been introduced (Chapter 2). In order to design and develop the proposed powertrain different experimental tests on batteries and FC have been carried out at CNR ITAE laboratories (Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies of National Research Council of Italy). Two different types of batteries, suitable for vehicles applications, have been compared: LiPo and LiFePO4. The most suitable battery for installation on board has been chosen. At the same time a PEFC system has been selected from the market and its performance have been evaluated by using an equivalent 2 kW short stack (Chapter 3). Starting from selection of two principal devices (batteries and FC system) the innovative powertrain has been realized at CNR ITAE. The range extender configuration has been considered optimal for an urban and sub-urban minibus in order to overcome limits of batteries technology. FC system works at constant power (ideal condition that preserves the FC durability) and batteries work in load following mode. Two different drive modes have been enabled: electric mode (only batteries) and hybrid mode (batteries and FC system). For the latter mode a specific energy flow strategy has been developed defining the technical intervention of FC as a function of batteries SOC (State of Charge) (Chapter 4). Finally the powertrain has been installed on the minibus and different tests on the road have been carried out implementing real driving duty cycles. The minibus has been lent to the Capo d’Orlando Municipality (ME) with the aim to offer a free service to citizens. The purpose of this use is the assessment of reliability, autonomy and the management and control logic of energy flows, as well as making a free service to the municipality of Capo d'Orlando that has inserted the vehicle within its own mobility planning. Furthermore, specific cycles have been implemented to verify the limit conditions, that means verify the maximum range of autonomy of the vehicle, both in electric mode (i.e. with only the presence of batteries) and in hybrid mode (batteries and fuel cell) (Chapter 5).Università degli Studi della Calabri

Lithium-Ion Batteries on Board: A Review on Their Integration for Enabling the Energy Transition in Shipping Industry

The emission reductions mandated by International Maritime Regulations present an opportunity to implement full electric and hybrid vessels using large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs). lithium-ionion batteries (LIB), due to their high power and specific energy, which allows for scalability and adaptability to large transportation systems, are currently the most widely used electrochemical storage system. Hence, BESSs are the focus of this review proposing a comprehensive discussion on the commercial LIB chemistries that are currently available for marine applications and their potential role in ship services. This work outlines key elements that are necessary for designing a BESS for ships, including an overview of the regulatory framework for large-scale onboard LIB installations. The basic technical information about system integration has been summarized from various research projects, white papers, and test cases mentioned in available studies. The aim is to provide state-of-the-art information about the installation of BESSs on ships, in accordance with the latest applicable rules for ships. The goal of this study is to facilitate and promote the widespread use of batteries in the marine industry

Effect of WLTP CLASS 3B Driving Cycle on Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicles

Capacity loss over time is a critical issue for lithium-ion batteries powering battery electric vehicles (BEVs) because it affects vehicle range and performance. Driving cycles have a major impact on the ageing of these devices because they are subjected to high stresses in certain uses that cause degradation phenomena directly related to vehicle use. Calendar capacity also impacts the battery pack for most of its lifetime with a capacity degradation. The manuscript describes experimental tests on a lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles with up to 10% capacity loss in the WLTP CLASS 3B driving cycle. The lithium-ion battery considered consists of an LMO-NMC cathode and a graphite anode with a capacity of 63 Ah for automotive applications. An internal impedance variation was observed compared to the typical full charge/discharge profile. Incremental capacitance (IC) and differential voltage (DV) analysis were performed in different states of cell health. A lifetime model is described to compute the total capacity loss for cycling and calendar ageing exploiting real data under some different scenarios of vehicle usage