<
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/02/battery-powered-trains-are-picking-up-speed/>
"Battery-electric power is commonplace in cars and trucks and is being tested
in planes, helicopters, and container ships. Now, battery power is coming to
trains, in place of the diesel-fueled generators that have powered locomotives
for more than a century.
Last week, Union Pacific Railroad agreed to buy 20 battery-electric freight
locomotives from Wabtec and Progress Rail. The deal, which drew praise from
President Biden, is worth more than $100 million. The battery-electric
locomotives initially will be used to sort train cars in rail yards in
California and Nebraska.
Battery-electric locomotives have already begun rolling on California tracks.
As part of a demonstration with the Pacific Harbor Line, Progress Rail, a
Caterpillar company, began operating battery-electric locomotives in the ports
of Los Angeles and Long Beach late last year.
Also last year, Wabtec tested its FLXdrive locomotives on 18 trips between
Barstow and Stockton, California, under a $22 million grant from the California
Air Resources Board. The battery-electric locomotive sat between two
traditional diesel locomotives, pulling as much as 430,000 pounds. Wabtec CTO
Eric Gebhardt says the combination saved an average of 11 percent on fuel and
emissions. Wabtec says its next-generation battery locomotive will nearly
triple its energy storage capacity to 7 megawatt-hours, nearly 100 times the
capacity of a Tesla Model 3. That could cut emissions by up to 30 percent,
Gebhardt says."
Via Glyn Moody, who wrote "about time too…"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
