JAPAN: The battery-powered Prismo has been announced as the latest version of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Crystal Mover family of rubber-tyre Automated Guideway Transit peoplemovers.
The Mitsubishi High Power battery energy management system has been developed by Musashi Energy Solutions and Mitsubishi Electric Corp to combine rapid charging at stations with regenerative energy storage during operation.
MHI says this offers energy savings of around 10% compared to conventional AGT systems. Avoiding the need to electrify the guideway also lowers infrastructure maintenance costs, and means vehicles can get to the next station during a power outage.
There is a guide rail underneath the centre of the vehicles rather than at the sides, halving the number of guide rails needed. This allows for a slimmer track, reducing infrastructure construction costs and improving aesthetics.
Manufacturing would be at MHI’s Mihara site on Hiroshima prefecture, which gets all its electricity from the Wadaoki solar power plant.
