Propulsion control system and method are provided for use in vehicles including a propulsion motor that is powered by a fuel cell. The fuel cell unit produces a compatible voltage for the propulsion motor, thereby removing the need for a dc/dc boost converter. A buck/boost converter and a standard 12 volt battery are used to start the fuel cell. An inverter receives dc electric voltage from the fuel cell and outputs ac electric voltage to the propulsion motor. A vehicle controller receives a voltage input from the fuel cell unit and outputs a current reference to a comparing device. The comparing device compares the current reference from the vehicle controller to an actual current of the fuel cell unit and then outputs a signal to a PI control which outputs a control signal to a fuel cell controller, whereby the power output of the fuel cell is controlled based on the actual current of the fuel cell.