Design and Experimental Validation of a Fuel Cell Powertrain Test Bench for Energy Management Strategy Evaluation

The development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) remains challenged by complex system integration, powertrain design, and the limited availability of experimental data under realistic operating conditions, which constrains the validation of energy management systems (EMSs) and system-level performance assessment. To address this gap, this study presents a validated test bench platform for fuel cell powertrains that combines a hardware-based powertrain test bench with a simulation environment for EMS analysis. The platform enables the integration and testing of a fuel cell powertrain in an electric van under realistic operating conditions. Validation under the US06 driving cycle shows an equivalent hydrogen consumption deviation of only 5.1 g (2.4%) between the hardware and simulation environments, demonstrating high platform reliability. A comparative analysis of load-following and average load power strategies is conducted. Results indicate that the average load power strategy achieves higher energy efficiency, reducing equivalent hydrogen consumption by 1.8%, 3.8%, and 6.4% under city, rural, and highway conditions, respectively. The efficiency advantage becomes increasingly pronounced as power demand rises. The proposed platform provides a validated framework for system-level development, validation, and evaluation of fuel cell powertrain systems.