Dennis J. Eichenberg

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

The Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall

NASA/TM—2005-214024

December 2005
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Dennis J. Eichenberg

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

The Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall

NASA/TM—2005-214024

December 2005

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center
Acknowledgments

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NASA/TM—2005-214024 1

The Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall 

Dennis J. Eichenberg 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Summary 

NASA John H. Glenn Research Center initiated development of the Fuel Cell Powered Club Car 

Carryall as a way to reduce pollution in industrial settings, reduce fossil fuel consumption and reduce 

operating costs for transportation systems. The Club Car Carryall provides an inexpensive approach to 

advance the state of the art in electric vehicle technology in a practical application. 

The project transfers space technology to terrestrial use via non-traditional partners, and provides 

power system data valuable for future aeronautics and space applications. The work was done under the 

Hybrid Power Management (HPM) Program, which includes the Hybrid Electric Transit Bus (HETB). 

The Carryall is a state of the art, ground up, electric utility vehicle. A unique aspect of the project is 

the use of hydrogen powered proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells as the primary power source. 

There are large transient loads associated with electric vehicles that require a very large primary energy 

source, or an energy storage system. The energy storage system can consist of devices such as 

batteries, flywheels, or ultracapacitors. Ultracapacitors were used for this application. Ultracapacitors are 

ideal for applications such as electric vehicles where long life, maintenance free operation, and excellent 

low temperature performance is essential. State of the art symmetric ultracapacitors were used for this 

application. The ultracapacitors were interconnected in an innovative configuration to minimize 

interconnection impedance. The combination of PEM fuel cells and ultracapacitors provides a power 

source with excellent energy and power density. The life of PEM fuel cells is shortened significantly by 

large transient loads. Ultracapacitors used in conjunction with PEM fuel cells reduces the transients 

applied to the fuel cell, and thus appreciably improves its life. 

Another unique aspect of the project is the use of metal hydride hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is 

traditionally stored as a compressed gas or as a cryogenic liquid. Both of these storage methods have 

shortcomings that present problems for the use of hydrogen as a ubiquitous fuel gas. Hydride hydrogen 

storage stores hydrogen in a safe and efficient low-pressure solid form. 

Innovative features, such as multiple power sources, and regenerative braking through ultracapacitor 

energy storage, are planned. Regenerative braking recovers much of the kinetic energy of the vehicle 

during deceleration. The Carryall had been tested previously with the standard lead acid battery energy 

storage system, an asymmetric ultracapacitor energy storage system, and will be tested with fuel cells in 

conjunction with an ultracapacitor energy storage system. The report concludes that the Fuel Cell 

Powered Club Car Carryall can provide excellent performance, and that the implementation of fuel cells in 

conjunction with ultracapacitors in the power system can provide significant reliability and performance 

improvements. 

Introduction

NASA Glenn Research Center initiated development of the Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall as 

an excellent opportunity to transfer technology from the aerospace and military industries to a commercial 

venture. The project is seen as a way to reduce pollution in industrial settings, reduce fossil fuel 

consumption and reduce operating costs for transportation systems. The Carryall provides an 

inexpensive approach to advance the state of the art in electric vehicle technology in a practical 

application. The project transfers space technology to terrestrial use via non-traditional partners, and 

provides power system data valuable for future aeronautic and space applications. 

NASA Glenn Research Center has a wealth of experience in power systems through the HPM 

Program. The Avionics, Power and Communications Branch of the Engineering Development Division 

initiated the HPM Program for the Technology Transfer and Partnership Office. HPM is the innovative 

integration of diverse, state-of-the-art power devices in an optimal configuration for space and terrestrial 

applications. The appropriate application and control of the various power devices significantly improves 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 2

overall system performance and efficiency. The advanced power devices include ultracapacitors and fuel 

cells. HPM has extremely wide potential. Applications include power generation, transportation systems, 

biotechnology systems, and space power systems. HPM has the potential to significantly alleviate global 

energy concerns, improve the environment, and stimulate the economy. 

One of the unique power devices being utilized by HPM for energy storage is the ultracapacitor. A 

capacitor is an electrical energy storage device consisting of two or more conducting electrodes 

separated from one another by an insulating dielectric. An ultracapacitor is an electrochemical energy 

storage device, which has extremely high volumetric capacitance energy due to high surface area 

electrodes, and very small electrode separation. Ultracapacitors have many advantages over batteries. 

• Batteries can only be charged and discharged hundreds of times, and then must be replaced. 

Ultracapacitors can be charged and discharged over 1 million times. The long cycle life of 

ultracapacitors greatly improves system reliability, and reduces life-of-system costs. 

• Long ultracapacitor life significantly reduces environmental impact, as ultracapacitors will 

probably never need to be replaced and disposed of in most applications. 

• The environmentally safe components of ultracapacitors greatly reduce disposal concerns. 

• High ultracapacitor power density provides high power during surges, and the ability to absorb 

high power during recharging. Ultracapacitors are extremely efficient in capturing recharging 

energy. 

• Ultracapacitors are extremely rugged, reliable, and maintenance free. 

• Ultracapacitors have excellent low temperature characteristics. 

• Ultracapacitors provide consistent performance over time. 

• Ultracapacitors promote safety, as they can easily be discharged, and left indefinitely in a safe 

discharged state. 

HPM has been successfully applied to the NASA Hybrid Electric Transit Bus HETB project. This is a 

40-ft transit bus with a unique hybrid drive. At over 37,000-lb gross weight, this is the largest vehicle to 

ever use ultracapacitor energy storage. The ultracapacitor technology utilized for the HETB is being 

applied to satellite actuation to replace unreliable hydraulic systems. The motor and control technology 

utilized for the HETB is being applied to flywheel dynamometer systems. 

HPM has been utilized to provide power for drop tower research. HPM is being considered for space 

missions, such as the exploration of Mars, and deep space missions, such as the exploration of Europa. 

Through the NASA Glenn Research Center Technology Transfer and Partnership Office, HPM is 

being applied to power generation, transportation, safety, and biotechnology systems. Some specific 

examples include photovoltaic power generation, electric vehicles, and safety systems. 

NASA Glenn Research Center provides overall project coordination and is responsible for testing the 

vehicle. This includes instrumenting the vehicle and developing instrumentation and control programs. 

Wherever practical, off-the-shelf components have been integrated into the test configuration. 

Objectives 

Development of the vehicle was performed at NASA Glenn Research Center. Of particular interest 

are the practical implementation of a PEM fuel cell power source in conjunction with an ultracapacitor 

energy storage system, and a metal hydride hydrogen storage system. Vehicle performance should be 

improved from that with the standard lead acid battery power system due to significantly reduced mass. 

Vehicle reliability is expected to be significantly improved due to the use of highly reliable, long life power 

system components. 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 3

Figure 1.—Club Car Carryall 

Discussion

Vehicle Description 

The Carryall is a state of the art, ground up, electric utility vehicle. The vehicle is shown in figure 1 

and described in detail in appendix A. The standard Carryall is a series electric vehicle. As a series 

electric vehicle, all power is provided to the drive wheels from an electric drive motor, powered by an 

electric drive system. The block diagram for the standard Carryall is shown in figure 2. The Fuel Cell 

Powered Carryall is also a series electric vehicle, as shown in the block diagram in figure 3. 

The standard energy storage system consists of six 8 volt, 150-amp hour sealed lead acid, deep 

discharge batteries to store electrical energy. The complete battery pack is shown in figure 4. The 

battery pack is installed beneath the seat on the interior of the vehicle. The seat is removed for battery 

maintenance, which is required weekly. Maintenance includes inspecting the electrolyte level, and 

adding electrolyte as required. The battery charger is an off board unit. The charger is rated at 48 volts, 

17 amps DC. 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 4

Figure 2.—Standard Carryall Block Diagram 

Figure 3.—Fuel Cell Powered Carryall Block Diagram 

DRIVER 

INPUT 

INTELLIGENT 

CONTROLLER

HYDROGEN 

FUEL 

ENERGY 

STORAGE 

SYSTEM 

TRACTION 

MOTOR 

CONTROLLER 

DRIVE 

WHEELS 

DC TO DC 

CONVERTER 

VEHICLE 

ACCESSORIES 

PEM 

FUEL CELL MODULE 

ENERGY FLOW

DC TO DC 

CONVERTER 

DRIVER 

INPUT 

MOTOR 

CONTROL MOTOR GEARS DRIVE 

WHEELS 

CHARGE ENERGY 

STORAGE 

SYSTEM 

VEHICLE 

ACC 

ENERGY FLOW 

DC 

TRACTION 

MOTOR 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 5

Figure 4.—Standard Carryall Battery Pack 

There were several modifications made to the Carryall for the implementation of the fuel cell based 

power system. The standard lead acid batteries and battery charger were removed. Two series 

connected 1.2 kW Ballard Nexa PEM fuel cells were installed, along with a metal hydride hydrogen 

storage system. The Ballard Nexa power module is a small, low maintenance and fully automated fuel 

cell system designed to be integrated into products for portable and back-up power markets. It is ready to 

integrate into a variety of products for commercial use. The Nexa power module is shown in figure 5 and 

described in detail in appendix A. The Nexa system is based on a PEM hydrogen, air fuel cell. The 

system provides up to 1200 watts of unregulated DC power at a nominal output voltage of 26 VDC. With 

the use of an external fuel supply, operation is continuous, limited only by the amount of fuel storage. 

Water produced by the fuel cells is contained within the vehicle, rather than being dispersed. No external 

power is required to start or recharge the Carryall; all power is derived from the vehicle. 

A fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process, produces electricity. Air can 

be used as the source of oxygen. The PEM fuel cell selected for this application uses a solid polymer as 

an electrolyte and porous carbon electrodes containing a platinum catalyst. PEM fuel cells operate at 

relatively low temperatures, approximately 80 °C (176 °F). Low temperature operation allows them to start 

quickly (less warm-up time) and results in improved reliability. By converting fuel directly into energy 

through an electrochemical reaction, fuel cells extract more power out of the same quantity of fuel when 

compared to traditional combustion, with efficiency up to 90 percent. PEM fuel cells operate at 80 °C, 

rather than 2,300 °C, as in an internal combustion engine. Fuel cells do not contain any moving parts, 

which allows for higher reliability and longer life. When hydrogen is the fuel; water, heat and electricity are 

the by-products of the electrochemical reaction in a fuel cell generating electricity, instead of carbon 

dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and particulate matter inherent to fossil fuel combustion. Fuel cells 

avoid the environmental damage associated with the extraction of fossil fuels from the Earth when the 

hydrogen is produced from renewable sources. Fuel cells are capable of operating on hydrogen, or 

hydrogen reformed from any of the common fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be domestically produced through 

coal gasification, reformed from natural gas, or through the electrolysis of water with renewable sources 

such as photovoltaics or wind. 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 6

Figure 5.—Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells Installed in Carryall 

Hydrogen is traditionally stored as a compressed gas or as a cryogenic liquid. Both of these storage 

methods have shortcomings that present problems for the use of hydrogen as a ubiquitous fuel gas. A 

metal hydride hydrogen storage system was selected for this application. Hydride hydrogen storage 

stores hydrogen in a low-pressure solid form. 

In a metal hydride hydrogen storage system, metal alloys are used that act like sponges to absorb 

hydrogen. The absorption of gaseous hydrogen into the solid metal forms a new material called a metal 

hydride. In order for the absorption process to occur, heat needs to be removed during the reaction 

process. Heat also needs to be supplied during the desorption process. The source of the heat supplied 

can be waste heat from the fuel cell. 

Metal hydrides are an extremely efficient method of storing hydrogen. It is twice as efficient as the 

next most efficient method of storing hydrogen, which is as a liquid. Hydrogen is stored safely at ambient 

temperatures and pressures. Metal hydrides are able to deliver very pure hydrogen. This is particularly 

important for PEM fuel cells, which use Pt catalysts that can be easily poisoned if certain impurities (such 

as CO) are present in the hydrogen. Metal hydrides have negligible, if any, loss during storage, giving 

them extremely long shelf. The metal hydrides can be used to absorb waste heat from the fuel cell. 

A custom lightweight, efficient DC to DC converter converts the voltage from the series connected 

fuel cells, which can vary from 44 volts to 90 volts, to a regulated 50 volts for the traction power system. 

The DC to DC converter has input current limiting to protect the fuel cells. The DC to DC converter also 

has output overvoltage protection to protect the ultracapacitors and the vehicle traction power system. 

The Fuel Cell Powered Carryall control electronics are shown in figure 6 and described in detail in 

appendix A. 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 7

Figure 6.—Bank of 20 Series Connected Ultracapacitors 

A symmetric ultracapacitor energy storage system was implemented for handling vehicle transient 

loads. The ultracapacitor bank consists of 20 series connected 2,600 Farad ultracapacitors for a total 

capacitance of 130 Farads. The energy rating of the energy storage system is 162.5 kJ. The 

ultracapacitors were interconnected directly through threaded rods, rather than through cables, to 

minimize interconnection losses and improve efficiency. The ultracapacitor bank is shown in figure 7 and 

described in detail in appendix A. This state-of-the-art technology not only has much longer life than 

conventional batteries, but also provides much higher current capacity than batteries. Ultracapacitors are 

maintenance free, and have excellent low temperature characteristics. 

The electric traction motor is a 3.1 horsepower series wound unit. This is a direct drive system with 

double reduction helical gears. A pulse width modulated motor controller allows for efficient speed control 

over a wide speed range. 

A 12 volt, spiral wound, valve regulated, deep discharge, maintenance free, lead acid battery is used 

for starting, lighting, and operating vehicle accessories. This is a state of the art lead acid battery. The 

battery is rated at 41 amp hours. The battery is charged from the fuel cells via a lightweight and efficient 

200 watt battery charging module. 

The instrument panel of the standard Carryall was modified to accommodate the controls required for 

operating the fuel cells. A 100 volt analog voltmeter was added to the instrument panel to indicate the 

voltage level of the two series connected fuel cells. Individual controls were provided for each of the fuel 

cells. Data ports were also provided for each of the fuel cells. A 15 volt analog voltmeter was added to 

indicate the voltage level of the 12 volt auxiliary battery. A master switch for the 12 volt auxiliary battery 

was also added. An electronic speedometer with trip odometer was installed. All of the standard Carryall 

controls were retained. The instrument panel is shown in figure 8. 

The vehicle incorporates Department of Transportation specified safety features including lights, 

mirror, and horn. 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 8

Figure 7.—Fuel Cell Powered Carryall Control Electronics 

Figure 8.—Fuel Cell Powered Carryall Instrument Panel 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 9

Instrumentation 

The Carryall was instrumented to measure vehicle speed and distance. The fuel cells include data 

ports which are sampled and stored on a laptop PC. Additional channels will measure the traction voltage 

and current, as well as the following temperatures: traction motor, motor controller, energy storage, and 

the ambient temperature. These data will be sent to an on-board digital data acquisition system and 

stored on a laptop PC. Power for the data acquisition system, will be derived from a portable power 

system. The instrumentation configuration is described in appendix B. 

Performance 

The standard Carryall with lead acid batteries had been tested previously and the results are 

tabulated in the NASA TM of reference 1. The PEM fuel cells in conjunction with ultracapacitors had been 

tested previously, and the results are tabulated in the NASA TM of reference 2. The hydride hydrogen 

storage system has been tested as an individual component, and has been integrated into the vehicle. 

Concluding Remarks 

The Club Car Carryall with the standard battery pack is a commercially available vehicle that is fully 

prepared for the mass market. The Carryall has also been tested very successfully with asymmetric 

ultracapacitor energy storage. The primary focus of this report is the development of the fuel cell powered 

Carryall. The vehicle is powered completely from fuel cells, and does not require any external power 

source for starting or operation. 

There are many unique aspects of the vehicle. Hydrogen powered PEM fuel cells are the primary 

power source. PEM fuel cells have a rather fragile membrane with limited life. The life is significantly 

reduced by high stresses produced by large transient loads. The load must be minimized to prevent fuel 

cell damage, or an energy storage system is strongly encouraged if high peak loads exist. Ultracapacitors 

can easily handle large transient loads on a continual basis, and still provide a very long life, as no 

chemical reactions are occurring. Ultracapacitor charging is significantly more efficient than battery 

charging, since there is no chemical reaction occurring. Ultracapacitors are capable of supplying very 

high power, which is required to accelerate the vehicle quickly. Ultracapacitors are ideal for applications 

such as electric vehicles where long life, maintenance free operation, and excellent low temperature 

performance is essential. The combination of PEM fuel cells and ultracapacitors provides a power source 

with excellent energy and power density. 

Another unique aspect of the project is the use of metal hydride hydrogen storage. Hydrogen is 

traditionally stored as a compressed gas or as a cryogenic liquid. Both of these storage methods have 

shortcomings that present problems for the use of hydrogen as a ubiquitous fuel gas. Hydride hydrogen 

storage stores hydrogen in a safe and efficient low-pressure solid form. 

Future plans for the Carryall includes the testing of the vehicle with regenerative braking. 

Ultracapacitors will be used for regenerative braking, because of their superiority to batteries in accepting 

high braking currents, allowing for less usage of the mechanical brakes. 

The Club Car Carryall provides an inexpensive approach to advance the state of the art in electric 

vehicle technology in a practical application. The project transfers space technology to terrestrial use via 

non-traditional partners, and provides power system data valuable for future aeronautic and space 

applications. 

References 

1. Eichenberg, D.J., “Baseline Testing of the Club Car Carryall With Asymmetric Ultracapacitors,” 

NASA/TM—2003-212705, November 2003. 

2. Eichenberg, D.J., “Baseline Testing of Ultracapacitors for the Next Generation Launch Technology 

(NGLT) Project,” NASA/TM—2004-213344/REV1, February 2005. 

 

NASA/TM—2005-214024 11

Appendix A—Vehicle Summary Data Sheet 

1.0 Vehicle Manufacturer Club Car Inc. 

 Augusta, Georgia 

2.0 Vehicle Carryall 1 

3.0 Vehicle Configuration Series Electric 

 

4.0 Traction Motor 

4.1 Traction Motor Configuration Series Wound DC 

4.2 Traction Motor Power 3.1 horsepower 

4.3 Traction Motor Cooling Air cooled 

5.0 Drivetrain 

5.1 Traction Motor Drivetrain Direct Drive, Double Reduction Helical Gears 

6.0 Vehicle Dimensions 

6.1 Wheel Base 65.5 in. (166.4 cm) 

6.2 Overall Length 103.5 in. (262.9 cm) 

6.3 Overall Width 48 in. (121.9 cm) 

6.4 Overall Height 48 in. (121.9 cm) 

6.5 Ground Clearance 4.5 in. (11.4 cm) 

6.6 Front Tread 34.5 in. (87.6 cm) 

6.7 Rear Tread 38.5 in. (97.8 cm) 

6.8 Cargo Bed Load Size 37.6 in. (95.6 cm) x 45.1 in. 

(114.6 cm) x 9.3 in. (23.5 cm) 

6.9 Cargo Bed Load Height 27.5 in. (69.9 cm) 

6.10 Cargo Bed Load Capacity 300 lb. (272.4 kg) 

6.11 Vehicle Load Capacity 800 lb. (363.2 kg) 

6.12 Standard Dry Weight 530 lb. (240.6 kg) 

6.13 Outside Clearance Circle 17.5 ft (5.3 m) dia. 

6.14 Turning Radius 8.4 ft (2.6 m) 

6.15 Intersecting Aisle Radius 72 in. (182.9 cm) 

7.0 Ballard Nexa Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell Power Module 

7.1 Rated Net Power 1200 W 

7.2 Rated Current 46 A 

7.3 DC Voltage Range 22 to 50 V 

7.4 Operating Lifetime 500 h 

7.5 Fuel Composition 99.99% dry gaseous hydrogen 

7.6 Fuel Supply pressure 10 to 250 psig (69 to 1724 kPA) 

7.7 Fuel Consumption ≤ 18.5 SLPM 

7.8 Operating Ambient temperature 3 to 30 °C (37 to 86 °F) 

7.9 Relative Humidity 0 to 95% 

7.10 Location Indoors and outdoors 

7.11 Length x Width x Height 56 x 25 x 33 cm (22 x 10 x 13 in.) 

7.12 Weight 13 kg (29 lb) 

7.13 Certification CSA, UL 

7.14 Liquid Water Emissions ≤ 0.87 liters (30 fluid oz.) per hour 

7.15 Noise Emissions ≤ 72 dBA @ 1 m 

7.16 Fuel Interface 45° flared fitting for 1⁄4-in. OD tube 

7.17 Electrical Power Interface #8 AWG electrical wire 

7.18 Control Interface Full duplex RS 485 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 12

8.0 Maxwell BCAP0010 Ultracapacitor 

 8.1 Configuration Symmetric, dual layer 

 8.2 Capacitance 2600 F 

 8.3 Energy Rating 8.125 kJ 

 8.4 Voltage Rating 2.5 V continuous, 2.8 V peak 

 8.5 Maximum Series Resistance 0.7 milliohms 

 8.6 Specific Power Density 4.3 kW/kg 

 8.7 Maximum Current 600 A 

 8.8 Leakage Current 5 mA 

 8.9 Operating Temperature –40 to 65 °C (–40 to 149 °F) 

 8.10 Storage Temperature –40 to 70 °C (–40 to 158 °F) 

8.11 Dimensions 60 x 172 mm (2.36 x 6.77 in.) 

8.12 Weight 525 g (1.16 lb) 

8.13 Volume 0.42 L (23.63 cubic in.) 

9.0 Ultracapacitor Bank (Maxwell BCAP0010) 

9.1 Configuration 20 series ultracapacitors 

9.2 Capacitance 130 F 

9.3 Energy Rating 162.5 kJ 

9.4 Voltage Rating 50 V continuous, 56 V peak 

9.5 Maximum Series Resistance 14 milliohms 

9.6 Weight 10.5 kg (23.15 lb) 

9.7 Volume 8.4 L (512.60 cubic in.) 

10.0 Traction System DC/DC Converter (Schaefer C 4749-W-U010E) 

 10.1 Input Voltage Range 44 to 90 V 

 10.2 No-Load Input Power 10 W 

 10.3 Output Voltage 50 V 

 10.4 Output Current 42 A 

 10.5 Line Regulation 0.1% 

 10.6 Load Regulation 0.2% 

 10.7 Output Ripple ≤1% 

 10.8 Load Transient (10-90-10%) 6% 

 10.9 Response Time (±1%) 2 ms 

 10.10 Turn-On Rise Time 2 s 

 10.11 Overload Protection Current limited to 105% full load 

 10.12 Overvoltage Protection 55 V 

 10.13 Operating Temperature –20 to 75 °C (–4 to 167 °F) 

 10.14 Storage Temperature –40 to 85 °C (–40 to 185 °F) 

 10.15 Cooling Natural convection 

 10.16 Efficiency at Full Load 80% 

 10.17 Switching Frequency 20 kHz 

 10.18 Isolation Resistance ≥ 10 megohms at 500 V 

11.0 Metal Hydride Hydrogen Storage Canister (Texaco Ovonic Model No. 85G250B-NPT) 

 11.1 Dimensions 8.9 cm OD, 38.3 cm long 

 (3.5 in. OD, 15.06 in. long) 

 11.2 Weight 6.5 kg (14 lb) 

 11.3 Hydrogen Capacity 80 g, 900 std. Liters 

 11.4 Maximum Internal Pressure 250 psi at 25 °C 

 11.5 Container 1800 psi DOT 3-AL cylinder 

 11.6 Connection 1/8 in. FNPT with manual shut-off 

 11.7 Safety Devices Thermal/pressure relief certified 

 to CGA S-1.1 (CG-7 and CG-10) 

 11.8 Operating Temperature 0 to 75 °C (32 to 167 °F) 

 11.9 Storage Temperature –29 to 54 °C (–20 to 130 °F) 
NASA/TM—2005-214024 13

12.0 Auxiliary Battery (Optima Model No. 51) 

 12.1 Voltage 12 V 

 12.2 Energy 41 Amp hours 

 12.3 Reserve 70 minutes 

 12.4 Dimensions (L x W x H) 9.25 x 5.0 x 9.0 in. 

 12.5 Weight 26.0 lb 

NASA/TM—2005-214024 15

Appendix B—Description of the Instrumentation System 

A block diagram of the instrumentation system is shown in figure B-1. 

All fuel cell data will be obtained by the fuel cell instrumentation system and transmitted to a personal 

computer (PC) via a serial interface. The PC will log the data. This data included the fuel cell voltage, the 

fuel cell current, and the fuel cell temperature. All other measurements will be obtained with a Hewlett 

Packard data acquisition system, sampling at 100 Hz. Type K thermocouples will be used for all 

temperature measurements. Hall effect transducers will be used for all current measurements. Speed and 

distance will be monitored by a proximity sensor. These data will be transmitted to a laptop PC via a serial 

interface. The PC will log the data. 

Figure B-1.—Vehicle Instrumentation System 

DIGITAL 

DATA 

ACQUISITION 

SYSTEM 

LAPTOP 

PC 

SIGNAL 

CONDITIONER 

 MOTOR TEMP 

ENERGY TEMP 

CONTROL TEMP

AMBIENT TEMP 

STORAGE VOLT

STORAGE CUR 

CHARGER VOLT

CHARGER CUR 

SPEED

FUEL CELLS 
This publication is available from the NASA Center for AeroSpace Information, 301–621–0390.

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10. SPONSORING/MONITORING

 AGENCY REPORT NUMBER

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546–0001

Available electronically at http://gltrs.grc.nasa.gov

December 2005

NASA TM—2005-214024

E–15361

WBS–22–794–20–69

19

The Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall

Dennis J. Eichenberg

Electric automobiles; Fuel cells; Electrochemical capacitors

Unclassified -Unlimited

Subject Categories: 31 and 33

Responsible person, Dennis J. Eichenberg, organization code DEE, 216–433–8360.

The NASA Glenn Research Center initiated development of the Fuel Cell Powered Club Car Carryall as a way to reduce

pollution in industrial settings, reduce fossil fuel consumption and reduce operating costs for transportation systems. The

Club Car Carryall provides an inexpensive approach to advance the state of the art in electric vehicle technology in a

practical application. The project transfers space technology to terrestrial use via non-traditional partners, and provides

power system data valuable for future aeronautics and space applications. The work was done under the Hybrid Power

Management (HPM) Program. The Carryall is a state of the art, dedicated, electric utility vehicle. Hydrogen powered

proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are the primary power source. Ultracapacitors were used for energy storage

as long life, maintenance free operation, and excellent low temperature performance is essential. Metal hydride hydrogen

storage was used to store hydrogen in a safe and efficient low-pressure solid form. The report concludes that the Fuel Cell

Powered Club Car Carryall can provide excellent performance, and that the implementation of fuel cells in conjunction

with ultracapacitors in the power system can provide significant reliability and performance improvements.