Fuel Cell Electric Tractor FCTRAC: Powertrain, Thermal System, Hydrogen Storage, and Performance

Abstract

In the FCTRAC project, a fuel cell electric tractor is developed based on the existing diesel vehicle STEYR 4130 Expert CVT. After the FCTRAC project is presented, the paper introduces the developed fuel cell electric powertrain architecture designed to deliver comparable working performance to the donor vehicle. The description of the thermal system focuses on the challenging heat dissipation of the fuel cell stack. The design of the 700-bar hydrogen storage system is discussed, considering vehicle framework conditions. Finally, the paper addresses the test bench validation of the FCTRAC powertrain. It confirms the simulative development approach and demonstrates operation comparable to the donor vehicle with 95 kW constant load at 35 °C ambient temperature without derating.