System and method for detecting hydrogen tank fill operation in a fuel cell electric vehicle

A fuel system for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), comprising:

• a fuel delivery system fluidly coupled to a fuel tank, the fuel delivery system including:
• a tank valve,
• a fill valve,
• a fuel line defining an inlet and adapted to extend between the inlet and the fuel tank to transport fuel, wherein the tank valve and the fill valve are arranged between the inlet and the fuel tank with the fill valve being closer to the inlet than the fuel tank, and
• one or more sensors configured to provide data indicative of a characteristic of the fuel, the one or more sensors including a delta pressure sensor to measure a delta pressure across the fill valve;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• identify occurrence of a fill operation in response to detecting a characteristic differential between the inlet and the fuel tank based on data from the one or more sensors, wherein the characteristic differential is at least one of a pressure differential or a temperature differential,
• identify that the delta pressure sensor detects a forward bias pressure to detect the pressure differential, and
• control the fuel delivery system for the fill operation in response to detecting the pressure differential to direct the fuel to the fuel tank and to inhibit operation of a fuel cell,
• wherein, to control the fuel delivery system for the fill operation, the controller is configured to operate the fill valve to an open position to have the fuel flow through the fill valve to the fuel tank.