Fuel cell airport vehicle in series production

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 63 KB
• Volume: 2006
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1464-2859
• DOI: 10.1016/s1464-2859(06)71109-9

✦ Synopsis

Fuel cell airport vehicle in series production

A collaboration between the German Aerospace Center DLR and CARDEC GmbH in Frankfurt has resulted in the unveiling of a hybrid fuel cell/battery baggage transporter for use on airport apron areas. The partners have now also signed a contract to move to series manufacturing.

The vehicle is powered by an air-cooled 500 We PEM fuel cell developed by DLR, in combination with a battery and a regenerative braking system to produce a total of 1.5 kWe, sufficient to transport 380 kg of baggage. The hydrogen is stored in hydride form, with sufficient capacity for an operating time of 8-10 h, although this can be extended with the use of a larger storage tank.

The DLR Institute for Vehicle Concepts developed appropriate energy management electronics, to optimize the energy flow between the hybrid system and the drivetrain to meet the varying requirements in use.