The Anonymous Widower

Are Hitachi Designing the Ultimate Battery Train?

In Sparking A Revolution, a post based on an article of the same name in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, I repeated this about the specification of Hitachi UK Battery Train Specification.

• Range – 55-65 miles
• Performance – 90-100 mph
• Recharge – 10 minutes when static
• Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
• Battery Life – 8-10 years

Does this mean that the train can do 55-65 miles cruising at 90-100 mph?

How Much Energy Is Needed To Accelerate A Five-Car Class 800 Train To Operating Speed?

I will do my standard calculation.

• Empty train weight – 243 tonnes (Wikipedia for Class 800 train!)
• Passenger weight – 302 x 90 Kg (Includes baggage, bikes and buggies!)
• Train weight – 270.18 tonnes

Using Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator, the kinetic energy at various speeds are.

• 60 mph – 27 kWh
• 80 mph – 48 kWh
• 90 mph – 61 kWh
• 100 mph – 75 kWh
• 125 mph – 117 kWh – Normal cruise on electrified lines.
• 140 mph – 147 kWh – Maximum cruise on electrified lines.

Because the kinetic energy of a train is only proportional to the weight of the train, but proportional to the square of the speed, note how the energy of the train increases markedly after 100 mph.

Are these kinetic energy figures a reason, why Hitachi have stated their battery train will have an operating speed of between 90 and 100 mph?

A 100 mph cruise would also be very convenient for a lot of main lines, that don’t have electrification in the UK.

What Battery Size Would Be Needed?

In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I calculated that a five-car Class 801 electric train, needed 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph.

For comparison, an InterCity 125 train, had a figure of 2.83 kWh per vehicle-mile.

Hitachi are redesigning the nose of the train for the new Class 810 train and I suspect that these trains can achieve somewhere between 1.5 and 3 kWh per vehicle-mile, if they are cruising at 100 mph.

Doing the calculation for various consumption levels gives the following battery capacity for a five-car train to cruise 65 miles at 100 mph

• 1.5 kWh per vehicle-mile – 487 kWh
• 2 kWh per vehicle-mile – 650 kWh
• 2.5 kWh per vehicle-mile – 812.5 kWh
• 3 kWh per vehicle-mile – 975 kWh

These figures don’t include any energy for acceleration to line speed from the previous stop or station, but they would cope with a deceleration and subsequent acceleration, after say a delay caused by a slow train or other operational delay, by using regenerative braking to the battery.

The energy needed to accelerate to operating speed, will be as I calculated earlier.

• 90 mph – 61 kWh
• 100 mph – 75 kWh

As the battery must have space to store the regenerative braking energy and it would probably be prudent to have a ten percent range reserve, I can see a battery size for a train with an energy consumption of 2 kWh per vehicle-mile, that needed to cruise at 100 mph being calculated as follows.

• Energy for the cruise – 650 kWh
• 10% reserve for cruise – 65 kWh
• Braking energy from 100 mph – 75 kWh

This gives a total battery size of 790 kWh, which could mean that 800 kWh would be convenient.

Note that each of the three MTU 12V 1600 diesel engines, fitted to a Class 800 train, each weigh around two tonnes.

In Innolith Claims It’s On Path To 1,000 Wh/kg Battery Energy Density, I came to these conclusions.

• Tesla already has an energy density of 250 Wh/Kg.
• Tesla will increase this figure.
• By 2025, the energy density of lithium-ion batteries will be much closer to 1 KWh/Kg.
• Innolith might achieve this figure. But they are only one of several companies aiming to meet this magic figure.

Suppose two of the MTU 12V 1600 diesel engines were each to be replaced by a two tonne battery, using Tesla’s current energy density, this would mean the following.

• Each battery would have a capacity of 500 kWh.
• The train would have one MWh of installed battery power.
• This is more than my rough estimate of power required for a 65 mile trip.
• The train would have little or no weight increase.
• I also wouldn’t be surprised to find that the exchange of a diesel engine for a battery was Plug-and-Play.

Hitachi would have an electric/battery/diesel tri-mode train capable of the following.

• Range – 55-65 miles
• Out and Back Range – about 20-30 miles
• Performance – 90-100 mph
• Recharge – 10 minutes when static
• Emergency diesel engine.

I feel it would be a very useful train.

Trains That Could Be Fitted With Batteries

The original article in Rail Magazine says this.

For the battery project, positive discussions are taking place with a number of interested parties for a trial, with both Class 385s and Class 800s being candidates for conversion.

So this means that the following operators will be able to use Hitachi’s battery technology o their trains.

• Avanti West Coast – Class 80x trains
• First East Coast Trains – Class 80x trains
• East Midlands Railway – Class 80x trains
• GWR – Class 80x trains
• Hull Trains – Class 80x trains
• LNER – Class 80x trains
• ScotRail – Class 385 trains
• TransPennine Express – Class 80x trains

Although, I based my calculations on Class 80x trains, I suspect that the methods can be applied to the smaller Class 385 trains.

Possible Out-And-Back Journeys

These are possible Out-And-Back journeys, that I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle.

• Edinburgh and Tweedbank – 30 miles from Newcraighall
• London Paddington and Bedwyn – 30 miles from Reading
• London Euston and Blackburn – 12 miles from Preston
• London Kings Cross and Bradford – < 27 miles from Leeds
• London Euston and Chester – 21 miles from Crewe
• London Kings Cross and Harrogate – <18 miles from Leeds
• London Kings Cross and Huddersfield – 17 miles from Leeds
• London St. Pancras and Leicester – 16 miles from Market Harborough
• London Kings Cross and Lincoln – 17 miles from Newark
• London St. Pancras and Melton Mowbray – 26 miles from Corby
• London Kings Cross and Middlesbrough – 20 miles from Northallerton
• London Kings Cross and Nottingham – 20 miles from Newark
• London Paddington and Oxford – 10 miles from Didcot
• London Kings Cross and Redcar – 29 miles from Northallerton
• London Kings Cross and Rotherham- 14 miles from Doncaster
• London Kings Cross and Sheffield – 20 miles from Doncaster
• London and Weston-super-Mare – 19 miles from Bristol

Note.

1. Provided that the Out-And-Back journey is less than about sixty miles, I would hope that these stations are comfortably in range.
2. Leicester is the interesting destination, which would be reachable in an Out-And-Back journey. But trains from the North stopping at Leicester would probably need to charge at Leicester.
3. I have included Blackburn as it could be a destination for Avanti West Coast.
4. I have included Melton Mowbray as it could be a destination for East Midlands Railway.
5. I have included Nottingham, Rotherham and Sheffield as they could be destinations for LNER. These services could prove useful if the Midland Main Line needed to be closed for construction works.
6. I’m also fairly certain, that no new electrification would be needed, although every extra mile would help.
7. No charging stations would be needed.

I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.

Possible Journeys Between Two Electrified Lines

These are possible journeys between two electrified lines, that  I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle.

• London St. Pancras and Eastbourne via Hastings – 25 miles between Ashford and Ore.
• Leeds and York via Garforth – 20 miles between Neville Hall and Colton Junction
• London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge – 54 miles between Ely and Norwich.
• Manchester Victoria and Leeds via Huddersfield – 43 miles between Manchester Victoria and Leeds.
• Preston and Leeds via Hebden Bridge – 62 miles between Preston and Leeds.
• Newcastle and Edinburgh – Would battery-electric trains get round the well-publicised power supply problems on this route?

Note.

1. I am assuming that a range of 65 miles is possible.
2. If the trains have a diesel-generator set, then this could be used to partially-charge the battery in places on the journey.
3. Leeds and York via Garforth has been scheduled for electrification for years.
4. Preston and Leeds via Hebden Bridge would probably need some diesel assistance.
5. London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge is a cheeky one, that Greater Anglia wouldn’t like, unless they ran it.
6. As before no new electrification or a charging station would be needed.

I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.

Possible Out-And-Back Journeys With A Charge At The Destination

These are possible Out-And-Back journeys, that I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle, if the batteries were fully charged at the destination.

• Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52 miles from Doncaster.
• London Paddington and Cheltenham – 42 miles from Swindon
• London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln – 64 miles from Newark
• London Euston and Gobowen – 46 miles from Crewe
• London Euston and Wrexham – 33 miles from Crewe
• London Kings Cross and Hull – 45 miles from Selby
• London Kings Cross and Shrewsbury – 30 miles from Wolverhampton
• London Kings Cross and Sunderland 41 miles from Northallerton
• London Paddington and Swansea – 46 miles from Cardiff
• London Paddington and Worcester – 67 miles from Didcot Parkway
• London St. Pancras and Derby – 46 miles from Market Harborough
• London St. Pancras and Nottingham – 43 miles from Market Harborough

Note.

1. I am assuming that a range of 65 miles is possible.
2. If the trains have a diesel-generator set, then this could be used to partially-charge the battery in places on the journey.
3. I am assuming some form of charging is provided at the destination station.
4. As before no new electrification would be needed.

I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.

Midland Main Line

The Midland Main Line could possibly be run between London St. Pancras and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield without the use of diesel.

Consider.

• The route will be electrified between London St. Pancras and Market Harborough.
• In connection with High Speed Two, the Midland Main Line and High Seed Two will share an electrified route between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction.
• London St. Pancras and Derby can be run with a charging station at Derby, as Market Harborough and Derby is only 46 miles.
• London St. Pancras and Nottingham can be run with a charging station at Nottingham, as Market Harborough and Nottingham is only 43 miles.
• The distance between Clay Cross North Junction and Market Harborough is 67 miles.
• The distance between Sheffield and Leeds is 38 miles.

It looks to me that the range of East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains, will be a few miles short to bridge the gap on batteries, between Clay Cross North Junction and Market Harborough station, but Leeds and Sheffield appears possible, once Sheffield has been electrified.

There are several possible solutions to the Clay Cross North and Market Harborough electrification gap.

1. Fit higher capacity batteries to the trains.
2. Extend the electrification for a few miles North of Market Harborough station.
3. Extend the electrification for a few miles South of Clay Cross North Junction.
4. Stop at Derby for a few minutes to charge the batteries.

The route between Market Harborough and Leicester appears to have been gauge-cleared for electrification, but will be difficult to electrify close to Leicester station. However, it looks like a few miles can be taken off the electrification gap.

Between Chesterfield and Alfriston, the route appears difficult to electrify with tunnels and passig through a World Heritage Site.

So perhaps options 1 and 2 together will give the trains sufficient range to bridge the electrification gap.

Conclusion On The Midland Main Line

I think that Hitachi, who know their trains well, must have a solution for diesel-free operation of all Midland Main Line services.

It also looks like little extra electrification is needed, other than that currently planned for the Midland Main Line and High Speed Two.

North Wales Coast Line

If you look at distance along the North Wales Coast Line, from the electrification at Crewe, you get these values.

• Chester – 21 miles
• Rhyl – 51 miles
• Colwyn Bay – 61 miles
• Llandudno Junction – 65 miles
• Bangor – 80 miles
• Holyhead – 106 miles

It would appear that Avanti West Coast’s new AT-300 trains, if fitted with batteries could reach Llandudno Junction station, without using diesel.

Electrification Between Crewe And Chester

It seems to me that the sensible thing to do for a start is to electrify the twenty-one miles between Crewe and Chester, which has been given a high priority for this work.

With this electrification, distances from Chester are as follows.

• Rhyl – 30 miles
• Colwyn Bay – 40 miles
• Llandudno Junction – 44 miles
• Bangor – 59 miles
• Holyhead – 85 miles

Electrification between Crewe and Chester may also open up possibilities for more electric and battery-electric train services.

But some way will be needed to charge the trains to the West of Chester.

Chagring The Batteries At Llandudno Junction Station

This Google Map shows Llandudno Junction station.

Note.

1. It is a large station site.
2. The Conwy Valley Line, which will be run by battery Class 230 trains in the future connects at this station.
3. The Class 230 train will probably use some of Vivarail’s Fast Charging systems, which use third-rail technology, either at the ends of the branch or in Llandudno Junction station.

The simplest way to charge the London Euston and Holyhead train, would be to build a charging station at Llandudno Junction, which could be based on Vivarail’s Fast Charging technology or a short length of 25 KVAC overhead wire.

But this would add ten minutes to the timetable.

Could 25 KVAC overhead electrification be erected for a certain distance through the station, so that the train has ten minutes in contact with the wires?

Looking at the timetable of a train between London Euston and Holyhead, it arrives at Colwyn Bay station at 1152 and leaves Llandudno Junction station at 1200.

So would it be possible to electrify between the two stations and perhaps a bit further?

This Google Map shows Colwyn Bay Station,

Note how the double-track railway is squeezed between the dual-carriageway of the A55 North Wales Expressway and the sea.

The two routes follow each other close to the sea, as far as Abegele & Pensarn station, where the Expressway moves further from the sea.

Further on, after passing through more caravans than I’ve ever seen, there is Rhyl station.

• The time between arriving at Rhyl station and leaving Llandudno Junction station is nineteen minutes.
• The distance between the two stations is fourteen miles.
• Rhyl and Crewe is fifty-one miles.
• Llandudno Junction and Holyhead is forty-one miles.

It would appear that if the North Wales Coast Line between Rhyl and Llandudno Junction is electrified, that Hitachi’s proposed battery trains can reach Holyhead.

The trains could even changeover between electrification and battery power in Rhyl and Llandudno Junction stations.

I am sure that electrifying this section would not be the most difficult in the world, although the severe weather sometimes encountered, may need some very resilient or innovative engineering.

It may be heretical to say so, but would it be better if this section were to be electrified using proven third-rail technology.

West of Llandudno Junction station, the electrification would be very difficult, as this Google Map of the crossing of the River Conwy shows.

I don’t think anybody would want to see electrification around the famous castle.

Electrification Across Anglesey

Llanfairpwll station marks the divide between the single-track section of the North Wales Coast Line over the Britannia Bridge and the double-track section across Anglesey.

From my virtual helicopter, the route looks as if, it could be fairly easy to electrify, but would it be necessary?

• Llandudno Junction and Holyhead is forty-one miles, which is well within battery range.
• There is surely space at Holyhead station to install some form of fast-charging system.

One problem is that trains seem to turn round in only a few minutes, which may not be enough to charge the trains.

So perhaps some of the twenty-one miles between Llanfairpwll and Holyhead should be electrified.

London Euston And Holyhead Journey Times

Currently, trains take three hours and forty-three minutes to go between London Euston and Holyhead, with these sectional timings.

• London Euston and Crewe – One hour and thirty-nine minutes.
• Crewe and Holyhead – Two hours and four minutes.

The big change would come, if the London Euston and Crewe leg, were to be run on High Speed Two, which will take just fifty-five m,inutes.

This should reduce the London Euston and Holyhead time to just under three hours.

Freight On The North Wales Coast Line

Will more freight be seen on the North Wales Coast Line in the future?

The new tri-mode freight locomotives like the Class 93 locomotive, will be able to take advantage of any electrification to charge their batteries, but they would probably be on diesel for much of the route.

Conclusion On The North Wales Coast Line

Short lengths of electrification, will enable Avanti West Coast’s AT-300 trains, after retrofitting with batteries, to run between Crewe and Holyhead, without using any diesel.

I would electrify.

• Crewe and Chester – 21 miles
• Rhyl and Llandudno Junction – 14 miles
• Llanfairpwll and Holyhead – 21 miles

But to run battery-electric trains between London Euston and Holyhead, only Rhyl and Llandudno Junction needs to be electrified.

All gaps in the electrification will be handled on battery power.

A Selection Of Possible Battery-Electric Services

In this section, I’ll look at routes, where battery-electric services would be very appropriate and could easily be run by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains.

London Paddington And Swansea

Many were disappointed when Chris Grayling cancelled the electrification between Cardiff and Swansea.

I went along with what was done, as by the time of the cancellation, I’d already ridden in a battery train and believed in their potential.

The distance between Cardiff and Swansea is 46 miles without electrification.

Swansea has these services to the West.

• Carmarthen – 32 miles
• Fishguard – 73 miles
• Milford Haven  71 miles
• Pembroke Dock – 73 miles

It looks like, three services could be too long for perhaps a three car battery-electric version of a Hitachi Class 385 train, assuming it has a maximum range of 65 miles.

But these three services all reverse in Carmarthen station.

So perhaps, whilst the driver walks between the cabs, the train can connect automatically to a fast charging system and give the batteries perhaps a four minute top-up.

Vivarail’s Fast Charging system based on third-rail technology would be ideal, as it connects automatically and it can charge a train in only a few minutes.

I would also electrify the branch between Swansea and the South Wales Main Line.

This would form part of a fast-charging system for battery-trains at Swansea, where turnround times can be quite short.

I can see a network of battery-electric services developing around Swansea, that would boost tourism to the area.

Edinburgh And Tweedbank

The Borders Railway is electrified as far as Newcraighall station and the section between there and Tweedbank is thirty miles long.

I think that a four-car battery-electric Class 385 train could work this route.

It may or may not need a top up at Tweedbank.

The Fife Circle

The Fife Circle service from Edinburgh will always be difficult to electrify, as it goes over the Forth Rail Bridge.

• The Fife Circle is about sixty miles long.
• Plans exist for a short branch to Leven.
• The line between Edinburgh and the Forth Rail Bridge is partly electrified.

I believe that battery-electric Class 385 train could work this route.

London Kings Cross and Grimsby/Cleethorpes via Lincoln

The Cleethorpes/Grimsby area is becoming something of a  renewable energy powerhouse and I feel that battery trains to the area, might be a significant and ultimately profitable statement.

LNER recently opened a six trains per day service to Lincoln.

Distances from Newark are as follows.

• Lincoln – 17 miles
• Grimsby – 61 miles
• Cleethorpes – 64 miles

A round trip to Lincoln can probably be achieved on battery alone with a degree of ease, but Cleethorpes and Grimsby would need a recharge at the coast.

Note that to get to the Cleethorpes/Grimsby area, travellers usually need to change at Doncaster.

But LNER are ambitious and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them dip a toe in the Cleethorpes/Grimsby market.

The LNER service would also be complimented by a TransPennine Express service from Manchester Airport via Sheffield and Doncaster, which could in the future be another service run by a Hitachi battery train.

There is also a local service to Barton-on-Humber, which could be up for improvement.

London Waterloo And Exeter

This service needs to go electric, if South Western Railway is going to fully decarbonise.

But third-rail electrification is only installed between Waterloo and Basingstoke.

Could battery-electric trains be used on this nearly two hundred mile route to avoid the need for electrification.

A possible strategy could be.

• Use existing electrification, as far as Basingstoke – 48 miles
• Use battery power to Salisbury – 83 miles
• Trains can take several minutes at Salisbury as they often split and join and change train crew, so the train could be fast-charged.
• Use battery power to the Tisbury/Gillingham/Yeovil/Crewkerne area, where trains would be charged – 130 miles
• Use battery power to Exeter- 172 miles

Note.

1. The miles are the distance from London.
2. The charging at Salisbury could be based on Vivarail’s Fast-Charging technology.
3. The charging around Yrovil could be based on perhaps twenty miles of third-rail electrification, that would only be switched on, when a train is present.

I estimate that there could be time savings of up to fifteen minutes on the route.

To Be Continued…

February 18, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Battery-Electric Trains, Charging Battery Trains, Class 230 Train, Class 385 Train, Class 800 Train, Class 810 Train, Clay Cross North Junction, Clay Cross North Junction And Sheffield Electrification, Conwy Valley Line, East Midlands Railway, Electrification, First East Coast Trains, Great Western Railway, High Speed Two, Hitachi, Hull Trains, Lithium-Ion Battery, LNER, Midland Main Line, North Wales Coast Line, ScotRail, TransPennine Express, Vivarail | 5 Comments