“Putting batteries in trains represents a real cost saving”, assured Malcolm Brown, the CEO of the British Angel Trains at the end of the tests carried out by Hitachi Rail by one diesel train equipped with batteries additional costs to be able to circulate in electric mode. And it also pointed out the reduction in operating costs, as well as emissions and the silence of the trains.
Hitachi Rail, rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains and operator TransPennine Express (TPE) announced the successful completion of the first battery traction trial in British intercity transport. The idea of this new type of train is as simple as it is complex: use batteries so that a diesel train can circulate under certain conditions in 100% electric modesuch as when entering or leaving stations and cities, especially on non-electrified lines.
A train with a hybrid system similar to that of cars
Trials of this new type of train began in August and continued for two months on the TPE network in the north of England, including routes from York to Manchester Airport and Leeds to Liverpool.
The objective was to test in real conditions the performance of a bimodal train developed by Hitachi and owned by Angel Trains, in which one of the three diesel generator sets of the five-car train was replaced by a battery module.
Let us remember that the vast majority of diesel trains that circulate today do not use their diesel engine to move but to power the electric motors, which are what provide traction to the train. That is, they are serial hybrid trains or locomotives. In this case, Hitachi has developed an extended range electric train, like a BMW i3 Rex or a Mazda MX-30 R-EV.
The module – what in the automotive industry we would call the battery pack – consists of 16 batteries, each with 22 lithium-ion cells developed by Turntide Technologies, with a 700 kW peak power and one 575 kWh capacity. The batteries can be charged both from a catenary and during braking thanks to regenerative braking, and it is possible to charge them from zero to 80% in 50 minutes.
A fuel saving of 30% was expected compared to the same diesel train on the same route and a reduction was finally recorded. fuel saving up to 35% in Fast mode and up to 57% in Eco mode. In Eco mode, the train automatically switches to battery traction 625 meters before entering a station, turning off the engines and turning them on again 625 meters later leaving the station, according to the GPS.
In addition to eliminating emissions and reducing fuel consumption, not having diesel engines idling at stations improves air quality and reduces noise in urbanized areas.
Regarding autonomy with batteries, “we have achieved 135 km on non-electrified lines,” says Koji Agatsuma, Director of Vehicle Technology at Hitachi Rail. He believes that this makes it possible to replace diesel traction in more sections of the British interurban network from now on, “without large investments in infrastructure.”
And although it is not as environmentally friendly as an electric train can be, replacing the more than 1,000 trains in the United Kingdom manufactured by Hitachi and susceptible to receiving this system would mean a notable saving in CO2 emissions.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
