Energy and Fuel Consumption Minimization for a Plug-In Fuel Cell Electric Cargo Handling Vehicle 2022-24-0010

The port-logistic sector has a crucial role in goods transport, as the 85-90% of international trade is achieved by means of maritime routes. The latest reports from the International Maritime Organization show that the port-logistic related activities are an important source of air pollution, both for the use of large auxiliary power systems on ships, which operate during port stays, as well as for the employment of fossil fueled road vehicles for on-site operations. As a matter of fact, the most important maritime facilities are located nearby urban areas and therefore reduction of the environmental impact in ports becomes of primary importance. Thus, in the pursuit of a greener in-port mobility, a progressive replacement of fossil fuels with cleaner alternatives must be promoted.

This paper presents the analysis of the performance of a hydrogenfueled plug-in fuel cell/battery hybrid vehicle for cargo-handling in roll-on and roll-off port operations. The powertrain of the proposed vehicle has been designed by the authors in a previous work, based on experimental data acquired during in-port operations for the fossil fuel powered counterpart. An optimized energy management strategy, based on the application of the Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle, is used to assess the maximum energy and hydrogen savings that can be attained with such a powertrain. Results are obtained over different mission profiles, in terms of driving and duty cycles, in order to represent typical port operations and ensure the accomplishment of the defined target missions. Outputs from this study set the basis for the design of an optimization-based real time energy management strategy, to maximize the potential of such vehicles in the view of the replacement of the conventional vehicles for in-port operations.