Battery traction news – Page 7
-
In depthResearch: Extending the role of backup batteries
Projects in Chengdu and Moscow have confirmed that nickel battery technology, originally developed to provide onboard backup services on metro trains, can also provide a cost-effective source of power for emergency traction, eliminating the need to install separate battery packs.
-
Rail Business UKBattery train and fast charger to be tested in London
UK: Great Western Railway has signed an agreement to test Vivarail’s Class 230 battery multiple-unit and fast charging technology under real-word conditions on the 4 km non-electrified branch between West Ealing and Greenford in west London. Part of Vivarail’s family of multiple-units produced from London Underground ...
-
Rail Business UK‘Cleaner, quieter and quicker’ diesel-battery hybrid train enters passenger service
UK: Chiltern Railways has put into passenger service its HybridFLEX hybrid multiple-unit, which is fitted with a battery pack to store regenerated braking energy which can then be used to provide emission-free operation in stations and urban areas without needing new infrastructure.
-
NewsGB Railfreight tests diesel-battery hybrid locomotive
UK: GB Railfreight is undertaking a three-month trial with a Clayton Equipment Class 18 Hybrid+ CBD90 diesel-battery shunting locomotive owned by Beacon. On February 1 the locomotive was delivered to Whitemoor yard in Cambridgeshire, where it will undergo a series of test to understand its capabilities ...
-
In depthComment: Rail freight’s big battery booster
A string of recent orders for battery-electric locomotives from railways in North America and Australia offers hope of decarbonising the heavy haul freight sector, as well as the promise of innovations which railways elsewhere could adopt in the future.
-
NewsUnion Pacific to create ‘world’s largest’ battery-electric loco fleet
USA: Union Pacific has ordered 20 battery locomotives for trials as part of a plan to create what it says will be the world’s largest fleet of operator-owned battery-electric freight locomotives. Progress Rail is to supply 10 EMD Joule locos and Wabtec 10 FLXdrive locos. Associated ...
-
NewsBattery train passenger trials begin
GERMANY: Alstom’s prototype battery-electric Talent 3 multiple-unit has entered trial passenger service with DB Regio. On January 24 the battery-powered train was launched on the Stuttgart – Horb line in Baden-Württemberg, where it will operate on weekdays. From February 5 it will also operate on the ...
-
NewsFormula 1 technology company to support development of battery train
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Metals Group’s green technology division Fortescue Future Industries is developing what it says is a ‘world leading’ battery electric train concept. The project was disclosed on January 24 when Fortescue announced it had agreed to acquire UK-based motorsports technology company Williams Advanced Engineering, saying ...
-
NewsBHP to trial battery locos on Pilbara iron ore network
AUSTRALIA: Mining company BHP has awarded Progress Rail and Wabtec contracts to supply four battery locomotives for trials on its Western Australia Iron Ore network from late 2023. Progress Rail is to supply two EMD Joule eight-axle locomotives with a battery capacity of 14·5 MWh, while ...
-
NewsImproved rolling stock battery cell launched
JAPAN: Toshiba has introduced a 20Ah-HP version of its 20 Ah SCiB rechargeable lithium-ion battery cell, designed for heavy-load applications where high power input and output are essential, such as rolling stock traction and emergency power. The 20Ah-HP cell has a 1·7 times higher input and ...
-
NewsDB Cargo places diesel-battery hybrid locomotive order
GERMANY: DB Cargo has awarded Vossloh Locomotives a framework contract for the supply of 250 diesel-battery hybrid locomotives, with a firm order for an initial 50 to be delivered from 2024. Announcing the order on January 18, Dr Bernd Hoppe, CEO of CRRC ZELC-owned Vossloh Locomotives, ...
-
Rail Business UKNorthern seeks battery-hybrid Class 195 variant
UK: Northern Trains is seeking to introduce a battery-diesel hybrid version of its CAF Class 195 diesel multiple-units. The hybrid DMUs would be used on lines being modernised under the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme, primarily the Leeds –Brighouse – Manchester Victoria – Wigan and Huddersfield – ...
-
NewsFortescue orders EMD Joule battery locomotives
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Metals Group has ordered two EMD Joule battery locomotives from Progress Rail for use on its iron ore railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Offering an energy storage capacity of 14·5 MWh, the eight-axle BE14.5BB locomotives will be manufactured at Progress Rail’s ...
-
NewsRio Tinto battery locomotive
AUSTRALIA: Mining company Rio Tinto has ordered four Wabtec FLXdrive battery locomotives for use in the Pilbara region of Western Australia from 2023. The locos will be used for multiple purposes, initially focused on yard shunting and then main line service. Rio Tinto currently uses three ...
-
Rail Business UKBattery shunter replaces diesel locomotive
UK: Mechan has supplied a Zwiehoff Rotrac E2 battery shunter to Direct Rail Services’ Motherwell maintenance site following a 14-month trial to verify that it could replace a diesel locomotive. The shunter is being used to move flat wagons in and out of the depot at ...
-
NewsBattery train fleet financed
GERMANY: Financing has been put in place for the fleet of battery electric multiple-units ordered to replace diesel multiple-units on regional services in Brandenburg from December 2024. The 31 Siemens Mobility Mireo Plus B BEMUs ordered in 2021 are being bought by leasing company Alpha Trains ...
-
Rail Business UKNuclear site locos delivered
UK: Clayton Equipment has supplied two Type CBD80 battery-diesel locomotives to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Sellafield site, where they will be used to move nuclear materials and waste on the internal rail network. The 80 tonne Bo-Bo hybrid locomotives are powered by Stage V compliant Deutz ...
-
NewsRecognising and managing the risks of battery fires
INNOTRANS: In the latest InnoTrans Podcast, Roger Dirksmeier, Managing Director of Fogtec, explains how the rail industry must adapt its fire-fighting measures to cope with battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems. ’It is important to look at fire safety as an integrated system and not simply ...
-
NewsBattery power to extend Dublin commuter services as Alstom wins DART fleet renewal
IRELAND: Alstom was formally confirmed as supplier of up to 750 suburban multiple-unit cars for Iarnród Éireann as part of its DART+ Programme on December 13, having been named preferred bidder in June.
-
Rail Business UKBattery trains to serve Headbolt Lane station
UK: Work is set to begin on construction of a station at Headbolt Lane as part of an initiative which will see Merseyrail Stadler Class 777 electric multiple-units use battery power to run around 2 km beyond the end of the 750 V DC third rail ...