What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to enhance the energy management and dynamic response of hydrogen fuel cell tractors during heavy-duty operations.

February 28, 2026World Electric Vehicle Journal0 citationsOpen Access

Energy Management Strategy for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Tractors Integrating Online Dynamic Response Capability

YLYanying Li YWYueze Wu MLMei Liu

Key Points

The aim is to enhance the energy management and dynamic response of hydrogen fuel cell tractors during heavy-duty operations.
Developed a control-oriented fuel cell model incorporating mechanical and electrochemical dynamics.
Constructed a multi-dimensional performance evaluation framework for hydrogen fuel cell tractors.
Introduced a dynamic program for energy system coordination and economy optimization.
Implemented an online update mechanism for power-change rates through model-in-the-loop simulations.
Increased response stability by 44.44% with the proposed strategy compared to the DP-CoDE strategy.
Reduced response tracking error by 41.17% with minimal 0.15% increase in total hydrogen consumption.
Established a non-linear mapping for energy storage capacity and operational time for endurance assessment.

Abstract

Hydrogen fuel cell tractors (HFCTs) represent a critical frontier in the development of modern green agricultural equipment. Due to the heavy-duty and highly variable nature of tractor operations, current fuel cell-powered platforms face significant challenges, including insufficient energy sustainability and low-efficiency consumption. This study addresses the issues of sluggish dynamic response and durability degradation during complex plowing tasks through systematic power system modeling and energy management strategy (EMS) research. First, a control-oriented fuel cell model coupling mechanical inertia, manifold filling-and-emptying dynamics, and electrochemical reactions is established, which quantitatively reveals the physical boundaries of load-change ramp rates. On this basis, a multi-dimensional performance evaluation framework for HFCTs is constructed. This framework innovatively proposes fuel cell dynamic response indicators and a non-linear calculation model for continuous operational duration, achieving a non-linear mapping between onboard energy storage capacity and operating time for quantitative endurance assessment. Subsequently, guided by this evaluation system, a dynamic program considering the coordination of energy system durability and the energy consumption economy (DP-CoDE) is developed. By establishing an online update mechanism for power-change rates, synergistic optimization of system durability and economy is achieved based on the DP-CoDE strategy. Model-in-the-loop simulation results under plowing conditions demonstrate that, compared to the DP-CoDE strategy, the proposed strategy enhances response stability by 44.44% and reduces response tracking error by 41.17% at a marginal cost of only a 0.15% increase in total hydrogen consumption. These findings significantly improve the system’s tracking capability under transient complex loads and provide a robust theoretical foundation for the control system design of HFCTs.

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