For locomotives, switching to electric power has multiple benefits, including a reduction in NOx emissions, noise levels, and fuel consumption, and improved ease of maintenance and higher reliability. In fact, most diesel locomotives don’t employ the diesel motor to drive the wheels directly. Instead, the diesel motor drives a generator that powers electric motors at the wheels. Since the system is partially electric to begin with, it might seem relatively straightforward to remove the diesel engine and take power directly from existing networks of high-voltage overhead wires.
An all-electric approach works well for fully electrified railroads, but overhead power lines aren’t always available in the train shunting yard. Instead, rail operators are turning to a hybrid locomotive (“dual-power“ in railway terminology) that primarily runs under battery power with a small diesel engine powering a generator for auxiliary power if the battery is depleted. A German cargo rail operator, is gradually swapping all its current diesel units for more environmentally friendly hybrid alternatives. The company plans to eventually replace around 900 older locomotives, with the first freight units scheduled to enter service in 2023 and shunting units following in 2024. When the hybrid phase-in is complete, the operator expects to reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent and fuel consumption by one million liters of diesel per year.
New shunting locomotives rely on an 850V lithium-ion battery pack as its primary source of energy, providing the 80 tonne shunter with 500kW of traction power. The system also uses an on-board charger in the range of 15-20kW to charge the batteries while the locomotive is in the depot. That’s where RECOM comes in. Working with one of the largest Tier-One supplier of railway systems and electrical equipment in the industry, our PCS division has won the contract to supply the on-board chargers for the first 80 hybrid shunting locomotives, with further orders expected to follow.
An all-electric approach works well for fully electrified railroads, but overhead power lines aren’t always available in the train shunting yard. Instead, rail operators are turning to a hybrid locomotive (“dual-power“ in railway terminology) that primarily runs under battery power with a small diesel engine powering a generator for auxiliary power if the battery is depleted. A German cargo rail operator, is gradually swapping all its current diesel units for more environmentally friendly hybrid alternatives. The company plans to eventually replace around 900 older locomotives, with the first freight units scheduled to enter service in 2023 and shunting units following in 2024. When the hybrid phase-in is complete, the operator expects to reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent and fuel consumption by one million liters of diesel per year.
New shunting locomotives rely on an 850V lithium-ion battery pack as its primary source of energy, providing the 80 tonne shunter with 500kW of traction power. The system also uses an on-board charger in the range of 15-20kW to charge the batteries while the locomotive is in the depot. That’s where RECOM comes in. Working with one of the largest Tier-One supplier of railway systems and electrical equipment in the industry, our PCS division has won the contract to supply the on-board chargers for the first 80 hybrid shunting locomotives, with further orders expected to follow.
