Single-Switch Continuous Current High-Gain DC-DC Converter with Common Ground for Vehicular Applications

Efficient power conversion is essential for integrating fuel cells into hybrid vehicles, where high voltage gain, minimal switching devices, high efficiency, and low input current ripple are critical for performance. This paper presents a high-gain quadratic boost DC-DC converter tailored for fuel cell hybrid vehicles, utilizing a switched inductor-capacitor technique with a clamping circuit to reduce voltage stress while maintaining a common ground structure. The converter’s operation, component design, and controller development are analyzed in detail, with comparisons to existing high-gain topologies. A 400V, 200W prototype was constructed and tested under varying supply and load conditions, achieving a maximum efficiency of 93.5% with a gain of 13.33 at 58% of rated power. To validate its performance, a 20% step change in the input voltage was tested, demonstrating a robust transient response. This aligns with practical fuel cell systems, where reactant partial pressure regulation typically keeps input voltage variations within 20%. Experimental results confirm the converter’s scalability for fuel cell vehicle applications, underscoring its potential to advance sustainable automotive technologies.