VL Powertrain UK are working on a variety of proj-
ects designed to decarbonize and reduce emissions
across the automotive sector. One such project was
FCVGen1.0, a collaboration between AVL and Ford of Britain
to create a fuel-cell-powered electric light-duty commercial
vehicle. Undertaken as part of the Advanced Route to Market
Demonstrator (ARMD) competition, the efforts were part-fund-
ed by the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), a not-for-
profit organization helping to accelerate the transition to a
net-zero automotive industry through funding, support, and
insights.
The idea behind FCVGen1.0 was to develop a fully functional
fuel-cell-powered Ford Transit light-duty commercial vehicle,
along with a validated digital twin of the fuel cell system (FCS)
and vehicle, in under 12 months. A prototype Transit BEV donor
van provided by Ford was converted to a fuel cell demonstra-
tion vehicle at the AVL Engineering Centre in Basildon.
The project drew on AVL’s experience in the development and
integration of hydrogen propulsion and fuel cell technology,
combined with Ford’s knowledge of vehicle controls as well
as the development of vehicle calibration and energy manage-
ment systems.
Pooling Expertise
The project team comprised various disciplines, including
component and system design, control system and functional
safety development, simulation and system integration, as well
as construction and commissioning. The team drew on their
expertise to design, specify, and integrate the fuel cell balance
of plant (BOP) and high-pressure hydrogen storage system –
including supplier selection and component procurement.
AVL CRUISE™ M was used to simulate the fuel system and
performance. A rapid prototype of the fuel cell stack and
hydrogen tank control systems, including an infrared commu-
nications system for fast refilling, was also developed. This
rapid refilling allows the vehicle to offer comparable fueling
performance to a conventional commercial van, with the
hydrogen tanks refilling in approximately five minutes – similar
to a typical combustion-powered vehicle.
A vehicle drivability assessment was conducted using
AVL-Drive™, and the team developed and installed a human-
machine interface (HMI) in the vehicle, to allow the driver to
monitor the status of all the systems.
Transforming Goals into Products
The outcome is a vehicle that proves the engineering feasibil-
ity of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell propulsion in light-duty
commercial vehicles, both in terms of performance and
practicality.
“This collaborative project demonstrates that fuel cell electric
vehicles (FCEV) can become an integral part of the solution to
enable a net-zero future,” says Dr Matthias Wellers, Managing
Director, AVL Powertrain UK Limited. “I am very proud to have
been part of a team that has delivered an exceptional FCEV
demonstrator in a light-duty commercial vehicle and a Digital
Twin model of the vehicle and fuel cell system in under 12
months. The collaboration between Ford of Britain and AVL
supported the delivery and achievement of the project goals. It
was a great project delivered by an extraordinary team.”
Left to right: Jon Caine, Technical Director, AVL Powertrain UK
Limited; Paul Havelock, Calibration Department Leader, AVL
Powertrain UK Limited; Bernadette Longridge, Engineering
Centre Manager, AVL Powertrain UK Limited; Matthias
Wellers, Managing Director, AVL Powertrain UK Limited
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