Effects of Design Parameters on Operating Characteristics of an Electric Assisted Bicycle Using Fuel Cell

Nguyen Ba Hung and Ocktaeck Lim
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Nguyen Ba Hung: School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, 1 Dai Co Viet Road, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Ocktaeck Lim: School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ulsan, 93 Daehak-ro, Nam-gu, Ulsan 44610, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-12

Abstract: A simulation study was conducted to examine the effects of design parameters on the operation of an electric power-assisted bicycle using fuel cell. Bicycle dynamic, electric motor and fuel cell models were built to depict operation of the electric bicycle. These models were solved by Matlab-Simulink to obtain the operating characteristics of the electric bicycle, such as power of fuel cell, propulsion force, moving distance and velocity. The simulation results in motion were compared to experimental results to validate the simulation models. The effects of the number of cells and hydrogen fuel pressure on the operation of the electric bicycle were investigated. In addition, the influences of slope grade on the operating characteristics of the electric-assisted bicycle and fuel cell were investigated in two cases: without and with fuel cell control. The simulation results show that the operating performance of the electric bicycle was improved when the number of cells was increased. The increase in hydrogen fuel pressure helped to increase the operating performance of the electric bicycle; however, this contribution was not significant. When fuel cell control was applied, the velocity of the electric assisted bicycle could be maintained at a stable value, in spite of changing slope grade.

Keywords: electric assisted bicycle; fuel cell; number of cells; hydrogen fuel pressure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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