High Step-Up DC–DC Converter for Fuel Cell Vehicles Based on Merged Quadratic Boost–Ćuk

Most fuel cell electric vehicles require wide voltage-gain DC-DC converters to increase and equalize the relatively low voltage of fuel cell stacks with DC link bus or energy-storage devices, such as supercapacitors or batteries. This paper proposes two new non-isolated DC-DC converters suitable for such applications, which can be extended to other electric vehicles as well. The proposed converters combine the main characteristics of both quadratic Boost and Ćuk converters, offering high step-up voltage and control simplicity using only one ground referenced active power switch. Additionally, the proposed topologies present reduced voltage stress across the active power switch when compared to other boost converters. Considerations about the design of the proposed converters will also be presented. Experimental results obtained using a laboratory prototype validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed topologies and its suitability for fuel cell electric vehicles.