Battery Train Pilot Project On Challenging’ Westerwald Routes
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
It is only a small order for three Mireo Plus B battery-electric multiple-units from Siemens Mobility, but I feel, it is significant that engineers and managers are confident that a battery-electric multiple unit can handle a challenging route.
The Anonymous Widower 
Hitachi have had BEMUs running over hilly routes for nearly five years. The technical reports cite the bigger challenge is having sufficient energy to deal with the extreme weather conditions of high winter heating load and air con demands in high summer as being the determining factor. They do have several rapid recharge points though.
This country just needs to get on with it yes the technology is evolving but since the step change achieved with Lithium there hasn’t been another discovery that has massively changed power density by volume or weight most chemistry developments have been aimed at increasing charging rates.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | February 8, 2023 |
Solid-state, i.e. lithium metal, is potentially far more dense. The working assumption for the first devices atm seems to be around +50%, but the potential is several times. This should become clearer once the first devices start being used in the real world.
And, yes, I’m afraid the DfT, unlike the Germans, seems to have no decarbonisation strategy at all.
Comment by Peter Robins | February 8, 2023 |
It is now two days short of eight years, since I road in the Class 379 train at Manningtree.
We have been very slow on the uptake.
Comment by AnonW | February 8, 2023 |