Dual-Source High-Performance Active Switched Quasi-Z-Source Inverter for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles

To lower the circuit complexity and required space, and to prolong the lifetime of the hybrid energy storage system, a Z-source inverter (ZSI) topology is a suitable substitute for the traditional two-stage ones and has drawn attention in fuel cell (FC) hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). This replacement requires a suitable selection of passive components for the Z-source network (ZSN) and a strict control over the FC current. This article puts forward a novel high-performance active switched quasi-ZSI (HP-AS-qZSI) for the application of an FC-HEV. First, a lithium-ion capacitor (LiC) bank replaces one regular capacitor in the ZSN to decrease the passive components size and volume. By inserting an antiparallel power switching device, the proposed inverter is enabled to tackle distorted/uncontrollable dc-link voltages in a wide range of loads compared to the original AS-qZSI. Second, an improved-differential-evolution-based linear–quadratic regulator controller is also proposed to enhance the dynamic performance of the FC current control. Finally, signal hardware-in-the-loop tests are implemented to verify the performance of the proposed topology and controller. The proposed topology demonstrates an improved average efficiency (2.71%) and a decreased size and volume of passive elements over a traditional two-stage inverter.