Reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) is essential for deploying PEM fuel cell systems in heavy-duty vehicles. This requires optimizing both individual components and overall system design for performance, efficiency, and durability under real-world conditions.

 

Advanced electrocatalysts play a key role, yet translating laboratory-scale results into realistic long-term TCO assessments for long-haul applications remains a resource intensive challenge.

 

In this joint presentation, Heraeus Precious Metals (HPM) and AVL demonstrate how digital twins and electrochemical modeling can accelerate application-driven feedback loops for material development. To reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) in long-haul trucking, Heraeus’ latest Actydon electrocatalyst is integrated into a digital twin within AVL’s CRUISE™ M simulation environment.

 

A representative heavy-duty truck configuration based on the HyTruck project serves as the platform, combining coupled powertrain, system, and fuel cell stack models. Vehicle-level drive cycles are linked to performance and material degradation, enabling a comprehensive multi-scale assessment of novel catalysts under realistic duty-cycle conditions. This presentation demonstrates how this approach provides faster, application-targeted feedback for catalyst development and system integration.