Modelling and Simulation of a Fuel Cell Hybrid Power System for Electric Bus Operations on Intercity Routes in Abuja

Electric bus transportation on intercity routes in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria represents a compelling pathway for reducing transport sector carbon emissions, yet the range limitations of battery-only electric buses make hydrogen fuel cell hybrid power systems an attractive alternative for routes exceeding 200 kilometres. This study develops a validated dynamic model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell hybrid power system for an 18-tonne electric bus, incorporating a fuel cell stack, lithium-ion battery buffer, DC-DC converters, and an electric traction drive, simulated over the representative Abuja-Keffi intercity bus route driving profile. The hybrid energy management strategy, formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem balancing fuel economy, battery state-of-charge maintenance, and component degradation, is solved using model predictive control with an 80-second prediction horizon. The MPC strategy is benchmarked against an equivalent consumption minimization strategy and a rule-based baseline using MATLAB-Simulink simulation. MPC achieves 6.4 percent lower hydrogen consumption than ECMS and 21.3 percent lower than the rule-based baseline over the simulated route, while maintaining battery SOC within the prescribed 30 to 80 percent operating window. A parametric sensitivity analysis quantifies the impact of fuel cell stack size, battery capacity, and route stopping frequency on overall system efficiency. The study provides technical feasibility evidence and hydrogen infrastructure requirement estimates to support policy decision-making for FCH bus adoption on FCT intercity routes. Keywords: fuel cell hybrid, electric bus, model predictive control, energy management, Abuja