Systems and methods for fueling (or charging) communication, for example between a hydrogen fueling station and a hydrogen powered vehicle (or an electric vehicle and charging station) may utilize near field communication as well as vehicle to infrastructure communication. Safety information, fueling or charging information, payment information, and other information may be transmitted, and the redundant nature of the communication permits fault recovery and improved process monitoring. In this manner, fueling and/or recharging is made safer, faster, and more efficient.

A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell; a fuel cell step-up converter having an input terminal, wherein the input terminal is connected to the fuel cell; a secondary cell; a secondary cell step-up converter having an input terminal an output terminal, wherein the input terminal is connected to the secondary cell. wherein the output terminal is connected to an output terminal of the fuel cell step-up converter; and a control device configured to control at least the fuel cell step-up converter and the secondary cell step-up converter to control the fuel cell system, wherein, the control device executes interruption control when the control device executes continuity control and an output of the fuel cell system is requested to be greater than an output of the secondary cell in the continuity control, wherein the continuity control is a control to control the secondary cell step-up converter to output an input voltage from the secondary cell without stepping up the input voltage, wherein the interruption control is a control to interrupt an electrical connection between the fuel cell system and the secondary cell.

A fault diagnostic apparatus for a fuel cell electric vehicle and a method therefor are provided. The apparatus includes: a main relay connected to a fuel cell stack; a power converter connected to the main relay; a heater relay connected to the fuel cell stack and the main relay at one end and connected to a cathode oxygen depletion (COD) heater at the other end; and a fuel cell control unit (FCU) connected with the main relay, the power converter, and the heater relay. The FCU diagnoses a fault of the main relay based on an amount of change in stack voltage according to control to turn off and on the heater relay and a power of the power converter according to variable control of a voltage of the power converter, when the vehicle enters a shutdown sequence, and outputs the diagnosed result.

Disclosed is a device for removing residual hydrogen in a fuel cell. The device for removing residual hydrogen in a fuel cell sucks residual hydrogen gas in a fuel cell system and easily removes the sucked hydrogen gas so as to prevent a fire, an explosion, and the like which may occur due to residual hydrogen in the fuel cell system during maintenance work of a fuel cell vehicle. In particular, the device may be manufactured as a simple ejector structure in which a nozzle, a venturi, and a diffuser are sequentially combined, the nozzle and the venturi are combined, and the like to use compressed air as a driving flow and use gas inside a fuel cell system as a suction flow and thus easily remove the residual hydrogen.

A vehicle having a fuel cell includes a cell stack including a plurality of unit cells stacked on one another, a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) converter configured to convert the level of stack voltage output from the cell stack and including a discharger to remove residual energy thereof, a power distributor configured to distribute the level-converted voltage output from the DC/DC converter or to provide voltage remaining in the cell stack to the discharger to discharge the voltage in response to first control signals, and a controller configured to generate the first control signals depending on whether the vehicle is traveling normally.

The invention relates to a detection system (10a; 10b; 10c) for detecting hydrogen (11) in a cavity (12) of a fuel cell vehicle (13), comprising a fuel cell system (15) with a fuel cell housing (16) and a purging air line (17) for purging the fuel cell housing (16) and a hydrogen sensor (14) outside the fuel cell housing (16), wherein the purging air line (17) has a purging air outlet (18) for discharging purging air (19) out of the fuel cell housing (16), wherein the purging air outlet (18) is designed for applying the hydrogen sensor (14) with the purging air from the purging air line (17). The invention also relates to a fuel cell vehicle (13) comprising a detection system (10a; 10b; 10c) according to the invention.

In at least one embodiment, a vehicle system including a fuel cell stack and a least one controller. The fuel cell stack configured to provide energy for a vehicle. The at least one controller is programmed to control the fuel cell stack to enter into a zero gross power (ZGP) mode responsive to at least the vehicle exhibiting a negative torque demand for a period that is less than a maximum time duration. The at least one controller is further programmed to control the fuel cell stack to enter into a fuel cell shutdown mode responsive to the at least the vehicle exhibiting a negative torque demand for a period that is greater than maximum time duration.

A vehicle includes a fuel cell stack arranged to generate power for propulsion, an auxiliary fuel cell stack component, and a processor. The processor, responsive to a crowdsourced average value of an operating parameter of an auxiliary fuel cell stack component of other fuel cell vehicles being different, for a pre-defined power level, than an average value of a same operating parameter of the auxiliary fuel cell stack component by a pre-determined amount, purge the fuel cell stack of nitrogen.

A fuel cell system includes: an upstream side flow path forming a flow path from an oxidation gas supply apparatus toward a fuel cell; and a downstream side flow path forming a flow path from the fuel cell toward an atmosphere. The fuel cell system includes: an oxidation gas pressure sensor that measures a pressure inside the upstream side flow path; and a controller that can execute a water content estimation mode of estimating a water content in an oxidation gas flow path including the fuel cell. The controller includes: a water content calculation unit that calculates the water content in the oxidation gas flow path including the fuel cell on a basis of an oxidation gas flow rate and an oxidation gas pressure loss.

A method for increasing safety in the surroundings of an electric vehicle having a fuel cell system and batteries, wherein the vehicle is configured for charging the batteries by power from the fuel cell system and e.g. produces CO2 during this operation, even when the vehicle is turned-off and in a parked situation, wherein the method includes the steps of providing a sensor system having a gas intake and configured for warning against elevated CO2 levels in the surroundings of the vehicle, mounting the sensor system on the vehicle with the gas intake outside the vehicle's cabin, providing an alarm when the sensor system evaluates that the CO2 levels in the surroundings of the vehicle are elevated and surpass a predetermined threshold level.