Técnico Fuel Cell: Where Hydrogen Meets Autonomy

Team & Goals for the Future

Técnico Fuel Cell is a non-profit student organization from Instituto Superior Técnico, and we are proud to be the first team in Portugal dedicated to the development of urban hydrogen-powered vehicles to compete at an international level. Our focus is on sustainable mobility, and we believe we can make a difference in the automotive industry!

As a students team, we have members from all engineering areas, including mechanical, electronic, computer science, and chemical, and we believe this diverse knowledge contributes greatly to the growth of the project.

In March of 2024, we had the honor of presenting our first prototype (TFC01), and in May we competed in the Shell Eco-marathon, one of the world's biggest student engineering competitions, in Nogaro, France. Being our first year in competition, we entered the TFC01 in “Hydrogen – Urban Concept” category and managed to complete 6 laps with it!

This year we participated in the competition again, this time in Silesia Ring – Kamień Śląski circuit, Poland. It was a year full of surprises, as we adapted the prototype to 100% autonomous driving and competed in the newest category of the Shell Eco-marathon: Autonomous – Urban Concept. In addition to the autonomous vehicles category, in which we finished in 6th place, the TFC01 competed in the “Electric Battery – Urban Concept” category, completing 10 laps.

This prototype had a fuel adaptation, from hydrogen to 100% electric driving, because our Fuel Cell was implemented in our newest vehicle (TFC02), which will be presented shortly. This vehicle will feature a highly innovative design, a choice of materials that gives it considerable rigidity and a substantial weight reduction compared to the TFC01.

For the future, our goals are to improve and test our two vehicles in order to achieve an exemplary result in the Shell Eco-marathon 2026. The project has grown immensely, and we all believe that with a lot of effort and dedication, we can achieve what seems impossible!

Although much of our work is related to prototype development and competition preparation, throughout the year Técnico Fuel Cell participates in a lot of events, both at university level and externally. We take these opportunities very seriously, as they allow us to bring the team closer to the students and those who follow us, and to show that without the support of our sponsors, none of this would be possible. We are extremely grateful to Eurocircuits for all the support they give us in developing PCBs, which play a crucial role in the good performance of vehicles!

Take a Look at Our PCBs

As a newly formed team, we're just beginning our journey—and there's a lot of exciting development ahead. This year, we're focused on laying the foundation for a robust and reliable electronic system. Our two primary objectives are:

• Integrating a telemetry system into the car to streamline electronic debugging and enable real-time performance monitoring throughout the competition.
• Enhancing our overall electronics architecture by incorporating Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), which are key to ensuring consistent and dependent functionality across the car.

To support these goals, we've implemented a CAN-Bus communication system, with dedicated PCBs distributed along the line. This setup minimizes electrical noise and ensures smooth communication between all electronic components. Each board acts as a bridge between its specific peripheral and the central CAN-Bus, making the system modular, scalable, and easier to debuts.

At one end of the network sits the CAN_Pedal PCB. This board is responsible for capturing input from the car's pedals and transmitting it over the CAN-Bus to the BLDC motor controller, enabling precise and responsive motor control.

At the heart of the network lies the CAN_Geral PCB — a flexible, general-purpose board designed with prototyping in mind. One of its current applications is collecting data from across the CAN line and sending it to the telemetry system via Wi-Fi, enabling wireless data logging and analysis.

.At the opposite end of the line is the FRESC PCB — a custom board built upon an open-source BLDC motor controller design. Its development was a crucial step in our journey, especially as we venture into the autonomous category of the Shell Eco-marathon 2025. This board not only powers our vehicle's electric drive but also ensures we meet the technical requirements for autonomy, enabling us to push the boundaries of innovation and performance on the track.

This development wouldn't be possible without the support of Eurocircuits, our trusted PCB manufacturing partner. Their high-quality fabrication and fast turnaround times have been instrumental in bringing our electronic systems to life. We're proud to collaborate with a company that shares our commitment to precision, innovation, and engineering excellence.

For more information please visit the Técnico Fuel Cell website.

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