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FLXdrive battery-powered freight locomotive

20.09.2021

Carnegie Mellon University unveils the first FLXdrive lithium battery freight locomotive. The locomotive was jointly created by specialists from the university and Wabtec.

The train is 75 feet long, done in grey-red tones. The new FLXdrive battery-driven electric locomotive was successfully tested in California earlier this year, where it was found that it could achieve an 11% reduction in fuel consumption. This means a 6200 gallon reduction in diesel fuel usage.

The next version of the locomotive, which will be produced within two years, will reduce the consumption of traditional fuel by almost a third.

Emissions in the future will be completely eliminated through the development of accompanying hydrogen fuel cells. If this technology is used worldwide, Wabtec estimates that global emissions will be reduced by 300 million tons per year.

The US rail freight industry is currently valued at approximately $80 billion and spans 140 miles of railroad tracks across the US. However, the environmental benefits of rail transport are undermined by the heavy reliance on diesel fuel.

Wabtec is counting on FLXdrive technology to make a difference. The new battery system drives the train's axles and uses the kinetic energy of the train's braking to recharge. This means that the batteries will never run out while the train is in motion. The newest version will be a seven-megawatt battery locomotive that is 100 times more powerful than Tesla.

The FLXdrive locomotive will be adapted to operate in extreme heat conditions in the Pilbara region, where ambient temperatures can reach up to 55°C. In particular, it is planned to equip the locomotive with a special liquid cooling system.

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