Publications

Hydrogen fuel cells were first invented in the 19th century, but their widespread adoption has accelerated significantly over the past two decades. Among the various types, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have emerged as a leading option for diverse applications ranging from aerospace systems to automotive propulsion. A major challenge for PEMFC technology, however, lies in the limited lifespan of the cells and the gradual performance degradation over time. To mitigate this issue, current commercial systems are often oversized and underutilized to meet minimum durability guarantees between suppliers and end users. This conservative approach stems largely from an incomplete understanding of degradation mechanisms across the fuel cell lifetime. This study investigates the performance decline of single PEM cells operated for 400, 600, and 1000 hours under dynamic load conditions. The cells were subjected to load profiles derived from the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), which provides a more realistic and up-to-date demand model compared to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). In addition, voltage step protocols were applied to further characterize performance loss. The influence of external operating conditions, specifically cell temperature (55–85 °C) and relative humidity (30–100%), was systematically analyzed. The results provide deeper insight into how operating conditions accelerate or mitigate degradation in automotive applications. Based on these findings, a hybrid degradation model is proposed to assess fuel cell health status, enabling more accurate predictions of end-of-life and improving understanding of the underlying degradation mechanisms.