Application-oriented Vehicle Platforms for Fuel Cell Commercial Vehicles: Results of an Expert Assessment Study

Abstract

Given the current low demand, fuel cell electric vehicles are being manufactured based on existing vehicle platforms to decrease the development time and costs. Nonetheless, application-oriented vehicle platforms are facilitating technical advantages in terms of energy density and, consequently, range, as evidenced by the historical trajectory of battery-electric passenger cars. The development of application-oriented vehicle platforms for fuel cell commercial vehicles is therefore intended to augment their technical advantages and their feasibility further. Nevertheless, a multitude of obstacles pertaining to product development, manufacturing processes, and Re-X exist, thereby impeding the effective long-term development of application-oriented vehicle platforms. To identify these hurdles, hypotheses based on literature and industry experience of the authors are postulated and validated through qualitative expert interviews and a quantitative industry study. The primary outcome of this investigation indicates the necessity of anticipating the integration of imminent product innovations. Furthermore, the standardization of battery-electric and fuel cell-driven vehicle platforms must be initiated to enable both technologies for joint production lines. The implementation of service-friendly fuel cell systems is imperative to meet customer needs. To address these challenges and solve them for individual use cases, the development of a methodology is recommended.

Authors 6

1. Philipp Euchner Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany

2. Sebastian Biegler Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany

3. Julius Hausmann Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany

4. Gero Walter Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany

5. Heiner Heimes Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany

6. Achim Kampker Aachen Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University,Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM),Aachen,Germany