Article: Grant funds battery locomotive research

[ozbob]

Railway Gazette --> Grant funds battery locomotive research

[ozbob]

Having had a hybrid car now for 5 years (not a Prius), I think hybrid rail cars and locomotives could be very successful, particularly as fuel and environmental costs start to really impact.

--> Electric, diesel or hybrid? The great railcar debate

[ozbob]

My hybrid is a Honda, excellent horseless carriage.  Hopefully the experience gained from all hybrid road vehicles can be translated now to rail maximally.

[huddo45]

To get about 1hr of use, it would need about 3000 medium sized car batteries taking up about 100m3 of volume which is most of the above floor space on a 20m body. Surely LiMH batteries can do much better, but still need about 1.2m of them.

Ultracapacitors are the way to go. The MITRAC system by Bombardier is an option for the Flexity2 as ordered for the Gold Coast, who didn't take the option. They all fit in a box or two on the roof. They have been trialled successfully in DMU.s in Germany.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/ultracaps-win-out-in-energy-storage.html

[SurfRail]

GC seemed to opted out of a few options, such as the ground 3rd rail. The LR being built in Dubai will use groudn 3rd rail pick up, originally GC was supposed to be the first modern user, but now Dubai will be.

The trams will already be compatible with Bombardier's PRIMOVE if they ever want to roll that out. 

Better to stick with the tried and tested in my opinion and let somebody else take on the risk of using a newer technology.  I also gather that it's basically a proprietary technology which might lock us in to Bombardier products, whereas the OHW will not.