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Large sport utility vehicles have relatively low fuel economy, and thus a large potential for improvement. One way to improve the vehicle efficiency is by converting the drivetrain to hydrogen fuel cell power. Virginia Tech has designed a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle based on converting a Chevrolet Suburban into an environmentally friendly truck. The truck has two AC induction drive motors, regenerative braking to capture kinetic energy, a compressed hydrogen fuel storage system, and a lead acid battery pack for storing energy. The fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle emits only water from the vehicle. The fuel cell stacks have been sized to make the 24 mpg (gasoline equivalent) vehicle charge sustaining, while maintaining the performance of the stock vehicle. The design and integration challenges of implementing these systems in the vehicle are described.

The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team (HEVT) of Virginia Tech has designed a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle to compete in the 2002 FutureTruck Challenge. This year the competition is focused on reducing tailpipe emissions and increasing vehicle efficiency without compromising vehicle performance. The team has converted a Ford Explorer into an environmentally friendly truck. Our truck has an AC induction drive motor, regenerative braking to capture kinetic energy, compressed hydrogen fuel storage system, and a lead acid battery pack. The Virginia Tech FutureTruck emits only water from the vehicle. The fuel cell stacks have been sized to make the 35.8 mpg (combined adjusted gasoline equivalent) vehicle charge sustaining.