A £1.4m project is now underway to revolutionise the technology powering electrified rail services in the UK and beyond.
Led by Hitachi Rail, DB ESG, University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research and Education, and Turntide Technologies, the aim is to produce smaller and lighter battery packs to improve efficiency, while making these devices easier to adapt for different rail scenarios.
Lithium-iron phosphate chemistry is at the root of the new equipment, which is now in development. It is hoped that if successfully brought to market, the new battery packs will prove to be a major win for Britain’s mammoth task of retrofitting old diesel engines to serve as electrified rolling stock in the future.
The designs of many outdated and high emission models, with low floors and limited unused space, often make them difficult to reconfigure with cell power. And because upgrades are easier to complete, overall costs would fall significantly, further speeding up the process.
Hitachi is already running trials in England’s North East and North West on Transpennine Express trains. Rolling stock diesel equipment has been swapped out for battery-electrical for the first time in UK history, reducing emissions and operational costs by up to 30%. The new battery technology in development could significantly improve on this, with cells coming in as 40% smaller and with 22% greater energy density.
‘This continuous improvement means we are always working on the next generation of smaller and more powerful batteries to reduce cost on railways by negating electrification infrastructure spend or removing diesel engines entirely,’ said Koji Agatsuma, Hitachi Rail’s Chief Technology Officer.
Hitachi has already introduced its Masaccio battery hybrid trains in Italy, cutting emissions by 50% against comparable vehicles. This achievement is considered to have been a watershed in decarbonisation of rail travel in Europe.
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