Wabtec has sold its first electric heavy freight locomotive with batteries

The first fully electric heavy freight locomotive FLXdrive, which could only be powered by an on-board battery system, but was designed to be combined with diesel-powered propulsion systems, entered the market. This was done by Wabtec, a manufacturer of freight trains, in cooperation with specialists from Carnegie Mellon University. More on this subject is provided in the material in Digital Journal.

A game worth the candle, i.e. the fight against emissions in transport

The cooperation between Wabtec and the university is not a one-off, because the two are carrying out their long-term plans to make rail transport a completely emission-free sphere. The plan includes a carbon-free footprint of 1.7 billion tonnes of goods transported on American railways each year.

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In theory, this does not sound revolutionary, especially since rail transport only accounts for 2% of all CO2 emissions in the sector, but to understand this, you need to look deeper. Indeed, according to estimates (via Interesting Engineering), a switch to rail transport and a move away from road transport may in itself reduce emissions by 75%.

In fact, the world’s first electric heavy freight locomotive has already been tested

Earlier this year, Wabtec began testing its unique electric locomotive FLXdrive in California, where it traveled a total of 20,920 km, running for three months between Barstow and Stockton. However, only now the company revealed its full-fledged and ready-for-sale versionwhich has already found its owner. It was bought by the Australian mining company Roy Hill and, according to plans, it will receive the second generation FLXdrive with a 6-mWh battery system already in 2023. This can reportedly reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30%.

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At the moment, we know that the first-generation FLXdrive train comes down to 1950–44 kilograms, including steel and advanced electrical technology. Being the first electric heavy freight locomotive in the world, Wabtec’s work combines 18,000 lithium-ion cells with a capacity of 2.4 megawatt hours placed in one of the carriages. Below them, in turn, is a 4,400 hp engine system that drives four wheels.

As v a fully electric locomotive, which is the first in the world to rely solely on energy stored in batteriesThe FLXdrive can be charged directly from the power grid in the depot. However, the batteries are additionally charged by the recuperative braking system managed by the Trip Optimizer system, i.e. a kind of intelligent cruise control based on artificial intelligence. It is thanks to him that the FLXdrive reacts efficiently to every curve and slope of the track.

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In previous tests, FLXdrive combined with diesel engines reduced diesel consumption by an average of 11%, which does not sound spectacular if we do not translate it into real values. This 11% translates into a saving of almost 23,500 liters of diesel, combustion of which would normally emit about 69 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. In other words, there is something to fight for in your quest for a better, cleaner future.