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Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have become a practical and promising alternative energy source for the automotive industry, offering high efficiency and zero-carbon emissions compared to internal combustion engines. Sustainable fuel cell (FC) operation in vehicles is dependent on effective water management. This study investigates impact of local, ambient relative humidity (RH) level variation on the water content and overall performance of a 5-kW open-cathode PEMFC. A Simcenter Amesim model of the FC was first developed, calibrated, and validated using experimental data. The model was tested under various scenarios to comprehensively analyze how changes in local RH affect membrane water content, reflected in the polarization curve, FC power, and ohmic losses. The results show that FC efficiency improves by 23%, while ohmic resistance drops from 0.72 Ω·cm² to 0.26 Ω·cm² as the local RH increases from 10% to 90%.