Full advance of electric freight trains
in early time 2021WAPTC and BNSF This hybrid approach was tested on trails over mountainous terrain in California’s San Joaquin Valley. They found it 2.4 MWh locomotive helped reduce fuel usage by 11 percent over a period of three months. This is equivalent to avoiding burning 6,200 A gallon of diesel fuel.
““We have shown that this technology can be safely deployed within a railway environment, and it can do so in a relatively reliable manner,” Hamilton said. “Now, we’re taking that next step with… 7 MW model.
It is likewise expected to achieve the largest edition “Double-digit fuel savings,” although the exact percentage will depend on the geography and climate in which the trains operate and the weight of the freight they carry.
Wabtec’s first client is Roy Hill, a major iron ore mining company in Western Australia. Once deployed next year, the new battery-powered tug will help transport minerals from mines to port facilities in Australia’s hot Pilbara region. Wabtec works separately with Union Pacific, America’s second-largest rail operator, to build and supply electricity “Switcher trains for rail yard operations over the next two years.
On trains, as with long-distance trucks, the weight and size of the batteries compared to diesel engines poses a major challenge. Engineers must figure out how to install as much battery capacity as possible without making the locomotive difficult or dangerous to operate. They also have to mitigate the risk of thermal runaway, which occurs when battery components overheat and feed on each other, causing extremely hot explosions and releasing toxic gases.
Wabtec designed these safety systems so that its battery-powered model can tow any type of cargo, no matter how flammable or volatile, Hamilton said.
Another major hurdle facing clean energy technology is that, currently, U.S. rail operators are not required or incentivized to make this transition.
Although California adopted a first-in-the-nation rule on rail pollution earlier this year, the policy faces a lawsuit from the industry’s largest trade associations. In late April, the California Air Resources Board decided (Carbohydrates) adopted short-term measures to reduce NOx and diesel particulate matter – along with long-term rules stipulating that any locomotive built into 2035 Or yet you will have to use it “zero-emission configurations” while operating in California, even if coming from another state.
A separate initiative in Southern California faces similar opposition. Proposed regulations to reduce rail yard pollution could instead be replaced by voluntary agreements with railway companies.
Association of American Railroads, which is suing Carbohydrates In the Eastern District of California, it said the agency’s regulations would limit the useful lives of existing locomotives, while dictating their uses ““Early replacement” with technologies that have not been adequately tested in prototypes or operational uses and that are not yet commercially available.
“Railways are developing reliable, efficient, zero-emission technologies; However, they cannot simply be willed into immediate existence by policymakers CEOhe said in June 16 Statement announcing the claim.
Proponents of California’s regulations, including Earthjustice’s Agilidis, argue that such measures are necessary to drive investment in less-polluting rail technologies and make solutions more widely available. This includes not only the addition of battery-powered locomotives, but also the possibility of electrifying railway networks using overhead catenary lines or connected third rails. About a third of the world’s miles are electrified, although America’s charging infrastructure is still dominated by diesel.
““There is no real reason to retreat from politics,” Agilidis said.
However, political battles are brewing in California, as the rail industry moves to limit emissions, and companies are likely to use combinations of technologies to move freight across tens of thousands of tracks. This could include pairing battery-electric locomotives with overhead lines to reduce demand on on-board battery packs, Hamilton said. It could also mean connecting overhead lines with hydrogen, a technology that’s early on the development curve when it comes to freight trains.
““It’s going to be an exciting time over the next decade as these different options start to emerge,” he said.
