Hybrid and Fuel Cell Powertrains: two projects for small vessels

The transportation sector uses around 25\% of the worldwide commercial energy and its emissions are constantly growing. Environmental concern has increased and legislation is forcing technology to develop new solutions for this global challenge. Hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles appeared as one of the most promising technologies to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. There are already plenty of models in the market and these technologies, boosted by legislation and current investments, may achieve mass-market penetration in the next decades. However, more research is needed, especially to extend these technologies beyond road vehicles. In this thesis is performed a study, design, and implementation of a hybrid and a fuel cell powertrain for two projects in the marine sector. The thesis covers the state of the art, the problem statement, the estimation of the operational parameters and the selection of the main components. Both projects were financed by a private company in charge of the public transportation service in Venice. They were interested in developing new green models to renew its fleet. The projects were carried out by Dolomitech, a company specialized in designing and implementing hybrid, electric and fuel cell powertrains. I had the chance to join their project group in charge of both projects and composed of 3 members.