Optimized power management for fuel cells electrical vehicles using high step-up converter

Abstract

Large automotive firms encounter major challenges when integrating renewable energy sources like fuel cells to power electric vehicles (EVs). Traditional boost and quadratic converters often encounter challenges in providing adequate voltage gain at practical duty cycles. DC–DC converters play a vital role in harmonizing the energy levels of fuel cells and electric vehicles, highlighting the importance of examining the specifications of both systems. This study introduces a Hybrid Quadratic Boost Converter (HQBC) topology with two variants (Type-I and Type-II) designed for fuel-cell powertrains. The converter models are analytically formulated and validated using MATLAB for a 27 V, 40 A, 1000 W fuel cell input. Results show that HQBC-Type II achieves a voltage gain of 18.8 at a duty cycle of 0.7, outperforming the conventional quadratic converter and HQBC-Type I. The switch voltage stress remains significantly lower than the output voltage (about 160–180 V), improving device reliability, while current stress stays within safe operating limits. The converter delivers 290 V, 3.2 A at around 980 W with a peak efficiency of 98.2%, compared to 94–95% for traditional converters. These improvements confirm the suitability of the proposed HQBC for fuel-cell electric vehicle applications requiring high gain and high efficiency.