Advancing Energy Management Strategies for Hybrid Fuel Cell Vehicles: A Comparative Study of Deterministic and Fuzzy Logic Approaches

The increasing depletion of fossil fuels and their environmental impact have led to the development of fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles. By combining fuel cells with batteries, these vehicles offer greater efficiency and zero emissions. However, their energy management remains a challenge requiring advanced strategies. This paper presents a comparative study of two developed energy management strategies: a deterministic rule-based approach and a fuzzy logic approach. The proposed system consists of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) as the primary energy source and a lithium-ion battery as the secondary source. A comprehensive model of the hybrid powertrain is developed to evaluate energy distribution and system behaviour. The control system includes a model predictive control (MPC) method for fuel cell current regulation and a PI controller to maintain DC bus voltage stability. The proposed strategies are evaluated under standard driving cycles (UDDS and NEDC) using a simulation in MATLAB/Simulink. Key performance indicators such as fuel efficiency, hydrogen consumption, battery state-of-charge, and voltage stability are examined to assess the effectiveness of each approach. Simulation results demonstrate that the deterministic strategy offers a structured and computationally efficient solution, while the fuzzy logic approach provides greater adaptability to dynamic driving conditions, leading to improved overall energy efficiency. These findings highlight the critical role of advanced control strategies in improving FCHEV performance and offer valuable insights for future developments in hybrid-vehicle energy management.