Conversion to hydrogen fueling of a range extender SI engine of a 48 V hybrid electric vehicle

The purpose of the article is to present further development stages of the range extender designed for a 48 V electric vehicle. The initial design of the system consisted of a 160 cm³ single-cylinder carbureted gasoline engine coupled to a synchronous 3-phase AC generator. The conversion of the engine included an adaptation of a port hydrogen injection with a stand-alone engine management system. The research was focused on engine calibration first of all, in order to achieve its stable operation, avoiding abnormal combustion when running on hydrogen. In addition to the basic engine performance indicators, the composition of exhaust gases emitted by the engine was also measured. Initial tests proved the conversion to be stable, and the range extender reaches efficiency slightly higher than achieved when the engine was fueled by gasoline.