Flexible data recording wanted: Fuel cell trucks under endurance test

Green powertrains for trucks

In addition to purely battery-electric vehicles, alternative concepts are also becoming relevant in the commercial vehicle sector. One approach: powering trucks with fuel cells, i.e. generating electrical energy from the chemical reaction with hydrogen directly in the vehicle. The battery installed in the drivetrain is significantly smaller and lighter, as it does not serve as the primary energy source, but only as an intermediate storage unit. Robert Bosch GmbH, the world's largest automotive supplier, manufactures mobile fuel cell systems for this purpose, so-called “Fuel Cell Power Modules”, which are being tested by various vehicle manufacturers worldwide.

Data recording for long-term analysis

During extensive testing at both the bench and in fleets, measurement data from the control units of the mobile fuel cells and other measured variables were recorded in various situations. The aim was to record large amounts of data over a long period of time, and the resulting findings were able to help detect faults at an early stage. This will also accelerate vehicle development in this area in the future.

In the test vehicle

To ensure that the data obtained was comparable, the measurement technology used had to be suitable for both the test bench and for use in the test vehicles. Furthermore, during these iterative pre-series fleet tests, errors that were discovered during the first test runs were corrected immediately. However, this meant that the measurement and data recording requirements also changed repeatedly, as new test situations were checked again after the adjustment. The data logger configuration therefore had to be reconfigurable remotely worldwide based on the interim results of the measurements. This ensured that the changes could be made without the intervention of the test driver or removal of the data logger.

Space problems in the truck

The hardware conditions also played an important role: the data logger used had to be suitable for use in the test bench as well as for the road test. This requires a compact design and distributed use, as the device must be installed wherever space is available in the fuel cell power module. Even in a truck, there is only limited installation space for the fuel cell system. It was therefore important that the required hardware also had small dimensions. Thanks to its compact dimensions of approximately 109 × 45 × 158 millimeters, this was achieved despite the difficult conditions.