Performance analysis and optimisation of fuel cell electric bus powertrain and energy management parameters

Abstract

As bus operators worldwide aim to electrify their fleets, there are a number of zero emission bus technologies being considered, primarily battery electric and fuel cell electric buses. Fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) are emerging as an option in scenarios that require increased operational flexibility, where there is limited access to charging, or vehicles are required to complete challenging drive cycles. Despite these requirements, the performance limitations and capacity for flexible operation of fuel cell electric buses has not been sufficiently studied. Publications to date have considered the optimisation of FCEB powertrain parameters as well as the movement of power between the powertrain components, controlled by an energy management strategy (EMS). However, no work to date optimises powertrain or EMS parameters with the goal of producing a flexible system capable of operating effectively across a range of real-world scenarios. This work addresses the gap in understanding how fuel cell electric buses can be designed to balance efficiency with operational flexibility across diverse real-world conditions. It demonstrates the trade-off between optimising for specific routes and achieving adaptability across mixed scenarios, and presents opportunities for immediate improvements in vehicle performance and efficiency using existing technology.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2030.

Date of Award	Dec 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Supervisor	Geoff Cunningham (Supervisor), Juliana Early (Supervisor) & Yuanjian Zhang (Supervisor)