Systems and methods are disclosing providing for a fuel cell (“FC”) stack assembly utilizing bus bars that accommodate for variations in FC stack heights during assembly. In some embodiments, bus bars consistent with embodiments disclosed herein may be integrally formed with terminal plates out of a single piece of conductive material. Further embodiments of the bus bars disclosed herein may include structures configured to facilitating cooling of the bus bars during operation of the FC system.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a fuel storage container, a container installation space, a fill lid box, and a fuel gas detector. The fuel cell is to generate power through an electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and an oxidant gas. At least part of the fuel storage container is disposed in the container installation space. The fill lid box includes a gas fill port inside the fill lid box and has a communication hole to connect an inside of the fill lid box with the container installation space. The fuel gas is to be supplied through the gas fill port into the fuel storage container from an outside of the fuel cell vehicle. The fuel gas detector is disposed inside the fill lid box to detect a fuel gas leakage and to detect a fuel gas density in the container installation space.

A system and a method are provided for controlling emergency driving of a fuel cell vehicle. The system includes a cutoff relay that connects or cuts off a current flow between a chopper and a supercapacitor. A connecting relay connects or cuts off a current flow between a power line to which a fuel cell and a driving motor are connected and the supercapacitor. An emergency driving relay includes a first terminal connected to a line branched from a ground line to which the fuel cell and the driving motor are connected and a second terminal connected between a braking resistor and the chopper. A power system controller is driven in an emergency driving mode to cutoff relay to be turned off and the connecting relay to be turned on during a short circuit of the chopper and turns the emergency driving relay on or off.

A method for producing a bipolar plate for a fuel cell stack includes the following steps: providing two half-plates made of sheet metal, which form the bipolar plate when arranged on top of one another, wherein the half-plates are profiled via deformation of the sheet metal, and wherein, as a result of the profiling, the two half-plates arranged on top of one another contact at at least one contact region and do not contact at at least one non-contact region; carrying out at least one first cut in the non-contact region of at least one half-plate, before the half-plates are arranged on top of one another; Arranging the two half-plates on top of one another and connecting same; and carrying out at least a second cut in the contact region through both half-plates after they have been arranged on top of one another and connected.

A method for producing a bipolar plate for a fuel cell stack includes the following steps: providing two half-plates made of sheet metal, which form the bipolar plate when arranged on top of one another, wherein the half-plates are profiled via deformation of the sheet metal, and wherein, as a result of the profiling, the two half-plates arranged on top of one another contact at at least one contact region and do not contact at at least one non-contact region; carrying out at least one first cut in the non-contact region of at least one half-plate, before the half-plates are arranged on top of one another; Arranging the two half-plates on top of one another and connecting same; and carrying out at least a second cut in the contact region through both half-plates after they have been arranged on top of one another and connected.

A fuel cell system includes a battery, a fuel cell configured to generate power in accordance with a load, an inverter configured to convert power output from the fuel cell into alternating-current power and supply the alternating-current power to a motor, and a converter configured to control voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell using power output from the battery. The fuel cell system includes a voltage control unit configured to control the converter such that the voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell does not fall below a voltage lower limit of the inverter, and a lower limit voltage control unit configured to, when power required by the motor increases, cause the voltage between the inverter and the fuel cell to fall below the voltage lower limit of the inverter.

An exhaust air guide of a fuel cell stack is provided, in particular in a motor vehicle, with a cooling device which belongs to the functional environment of the fuel cell stack and is in the form of a cooler structure through which ambient air flows. At least some of the exhaust air of the fuel cell stack is guided into the cooler structure or behind the cooler structure, as viewed in the direction of flow of the ambient air through the cooler structure, to such an extent that, at the cooler structure, the exhaust air flow brings about an increase in the mass flow of the ambient air through the cooler structure in accordance with the jet pump principle or, at the cooler structure, the exhaust air flow, in accordance with the jet pump principle, brings about a pressure difference conveying at least a portion of the ambient air through the cooler structure.

A data signal accurately reflecting the actual state of a storage vessel is sent to a station side. A fuel cell system (1) includes a hydrogen supply line (32) that connects a tank main body (311) and a fuel cell stack (2), and a main stop valve provided to the hydrogen supply line (32). A communicative filling system (6) generates a data signal based on the state of a hydrogen tank (31), and sends the generated data signal to a station (9). A vehicle (V) includes an FCV-ECU (11) that assumes processing related to control of the fuel cell system (1), and a communicative filling ECU (61) that assumes processing related to control of the communicative filling system (6). Then, the communicative filling ECU inhibits start of communication with the station (9) at least when determined that a main stop valve (312) is in a completely closed state.

The invention relates to a method (100) for converting and/or storing electric energy E obtained from mechanical energy M in a vehicle comprising a motor (1), in particular a motor vehicle. In the method, a) mechanical energy M obtained when braking and/or during an overrun operation of the vehicle is converted into electric energy E in a first step using a generator (2), b) the electric energy is stored in an intermediate energy store (3) in a second step, c) the stored electric energy E is discharged to an electrolysis module (4) in a third step, d) the module converts the electric energy E into chemical energy C in a fourth step at least by splitting water (H.sub.2O) into hydrogen (H.sub.2) and oxygen (O2), and e) the chemical energy is conducted into a gas tank (5) of the vehicle for temporary storage and/or is supplied to the motor (1) and/or a fuel cell (10) of the vehicle in a fifth step.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a high voltage apparatus for a fuel cell, a compressor for an air conditioner disposed under the high voltage apparatus for the fuel cell and constituting a module integrated with the high voltage apparatus for the fuel cell, and a power control unit separated from the high voltage apparatus for the fuel cell, disposed at a vehicle body over the compressor and configured to control an operation of a motor. The compressor and the high voltage apparatus for the fuel cell are connected by a single power wiring.