This paper is concerned with the simultaneous optimal component sizing and power management of a fuel cell/battery hybrid bus. Existing studies solve the combined plant/controller optimization problem for fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHVs) by using methods with disadvantages of heavy computational burden and/or suboptimality, for which only a single driving profile was often considered. This paper adds three important contributions to the FCHVs-related literature. First, convex programming is extended to rapidly and efficiently optimize both the power management strategy and sizes of the fuel cell system (FCS) and the battery pack in the hybrid bus. The main purpose is to encourage more researchers and engineers in FCHVs field to utilize the new effective tool. Second, the influence of the driving pattern on the optimization result (both the component sizes and hydrogen economy) of the bus is systematically investigated by considering three different bus driving routes, including two standard testing cycles and a realistic bus line cycle with slope information in Gothenburg, Sweden. Finally, the sensitivity of the optimization outcome to the potential price decreases of the FCS and the battery is quantitatively examined.

This paper comparatively examines three different electrochemical energy storage systems (ESSs), i.e., a Li-ion battery pack, a supercapacitor pack, and a dual buffer, for a hybrid bus powertrain operated in Gothenburg, Sweden. Existing studies focus on comparing these ESSs, in terms of either general attributes (e.g., energy density and power density) or their implications to the fuel economy of hybrid vehicles with a heuristic/nonoptimal ESS size and power management strategy. This paper adds four original contributions to the related literature. First, the three ESSs are compared in a framework of simultaneous optimal ESS sizing and energy management, where the ESSs can serve the powertrain in the most cost-effective manner. Second, convex optimization is used to implement the framework, which allows the hybrid powertrain designers/integrators to rapidly and optimally perform integrated ESS selection, sizing, and power management. Third, both hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and plug-in HEV (PHEV) scenarios for the powertrain are considered, in order to systematically examine how different the ESS requirements are for HEV and PHEV applications. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate how price variations of the onboard energy carriers affect the results and conclusions.

The optimal design of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) can be formulated as a multiobjective optimization problem that spreads over multiple levels (technology, topology, size, and control). In the last decade, studies have shown that by integrating these optimization levels, fuel benefits are obtained, which go beyond the results achieved with solely optimal control for a given topology. Due to the large number of variables for optimization, their diversity, and the nonlinear and multiobjective nature of the problem, a variety of methodologies have been developed. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the various methodologies developed and identifies challenges for future research. Starting from a general description of the problem, with examples found in the literature, we categorize the types of optimization problems and methods used. To offer a complete analysis, we broaden the scope of the search to several sectors of transport, such as naval or ground.