Testing and evaluation of batteries for a fuel cell powered hybrid bus

Argonne National Laboratory conducted performance characterization and life-cycle tests on various batteries to qualify them for use in a fuel cell/battery hybrid bus. On this bus, methanol-fueled, phosphoric acid fuel cells provide routine power needs, while batteries are used to store energy recovered during bus braking and to produce short-duration power during acceleration. Argonne carried out evaluation and endurance testing on several lead-acid and nickel/cadmium batteries selected by the bus developer as potential candidates for the bus application. Argonne conducted over 10000 hours of testing, simulating more than 80000 miles of fuel cell bus operation, for the nickel/cadmium battery, which was ultimately selected for use in the three hybrid buses built under the direction of H-Power Corp.