More On Batteries On Class 802 Trains
In the December 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, there’s an article called Battery Trial For TPE ‘802’.
Class 802 trains are now involved in two battery trials.
- One involves Great Western Railway (GWR) trains, which I wrote about in Hitachi And Eversholt Rail To Develop GWR Intercity Battery Hybrid Train – Offering Fuel Savings Of More Than 20%.
- A second involves TransPennine Express (TPE), which I wrote about in Hitachi Rail And Angel Trains To Create Intercity Battery Hybrid Train On TransPennine Express.
This article puts some flesh of the bones of the two trials.
It is hoped that replacing one diesel engine (generator unit) with a battery pack will enable the following.
- Reduction of carbon emissions by at least 20 %.
- Reduction of fuel consumption.
- The ability to rely on battery power when entering and leaving stations to reduce noise pollution and emissions.
This paragraph explains a possible way the trains will be operated.
Another option is to use the battery to provide ‘classic’ hybridisation efficiency, allowing most diesel running to be done fuel-efficiently under two engines rather than three. In this case, the battery module would provide top-up power for peak demand and give regenerative braking capability when operating in diesel mode, which the trains currently do not have.
This is one of the aims of the GWR trial and I suspect anybody, who has owned and/or driven a hybrid car will understand Hitachi’s thinking.
The next paragraph is very revealing.
To fully test the 6m-long, 2.2m-wide battery module, the intention is for it to be flexibly programmable in order for different approaches to charging, including from the overhead line power supply, diesel engines and during braking , to be evaluated.
It looks to me that Hyperdrive Innovation will earn their fees for the battery design and manufacture.
This picture shows the underneath of a Class 802 train.
Note.
- The car is 26 metres long
- The car is 2.75 metres wide.
- The MTU 12V 1600 diesel engines, fitted to a Class 802 train, each weigh around two tonnes.
- The engines have a power output of 700 kW
I would think that the 6 x 2.2 m battery would fit under the car easily.
As an engineer, who has evaluated all sorts of weight and balance problems, I would make the battery similar in weight to the diesel engine. This would mean that the existing mountings for the diesel engine should be able to support the battery pack. It would also probably mean that the handling of a car with a diesel engine and one with a battery pack should be nearer to being identical.
Tesla claim an energy density of 250 Wh/Kg for their batteries, which would mean a battery with the weight of one of the diesel engines could have a capacity of around 500 kWh.
As a Control Engineer, I believe that Hitachi and Hyperdrive Innovation have a tricky problem to get the algorithm right, so that the trains perform equally well under all conditions. But with a good simulation and lots of physical testing, getting the algorithm right is very much a solvable problem.
The article says this about the reliability of the diesel engines or generator units (GU) as Hitachi call them.
Whilst reliability of the generator units (GU) has improved, operators of the bi-mode sets still report frequent issues which see sets ending their daily diagram with one out of use.
I wonder, if battery packs will improve reliability.
From statements in the article, it looks like Hitachi, MTU and the train operating companies are being cautious.
The article also says this about the design of the battery packs.
The battery pack has been designed so it is a like-for-like replacement for a GU, which can maintain or improve performance, without compromising on seats or capacity.
I have always said it would be plug-and-play and this would appear to confirm it.
How Will The Batteries Be Charged?
I showed this paragraph earlier.
To fully test the 6m-long, 2.2m-wide battery module, the intention is for it to be flexibly programmable in order for different approaches to charging, including from the overhead line power supply, diesel engines and during braking , to be evaluated.
GWR and TPE run their Class 802 trains to several stations without electrification. and they will probably need some method of charging the battery before leaving the station.
This is Hitachi’s infographic for the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
Note.
- This infographic was published with the Hitachi press release announcing the development of the tri-mode train for GWR.
- One diesel engine has been replaced by a battery pack.
- Charging the battery can be under wires or 10-15 minutes whilst static.
- At some stations like Exeter St. Davids, Penzance, Plymouth or Swansea, heavily-laden services might need the assistance of batteries to get up to operating speed.
The infographic released with the Hitachi press release announcing the trials for TPE.
It is similar, but it says nothing about charging.
So how will these trains be charged in stations like Hull, Middlesbrough. Penzance, Scarborough and Swansea, so they leave on their return journey with a full battery?
Consider.
- The formation of a five-car Class 802 train is DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF.
- Pantographs appear to be on both driver cars.
- The middle three cars have diesel engines.
- Only the middle three cars have traction motors.
- There is probably a high-capacity electrical bus running the length of the train, to enable electricity to power all the cars from either or both paragraphs, when running on an electrified line.
The simplest way to charge the batteries would probably be to install a short lengthy of 25 KVAC overhead electrification in the station and then to charge the batteries the driver would just raise the pantograph and energise the electrical bus, which would then feed electricity to the batteries.
I wrote about Furrer + Frey’s Voltap charging system in Battery Train Fast Charging Station Tested. This charging system would surely work with Hitachi’s designs as batteries can be charged from overhead electrification.
Conclusion
I suspect that Hitachi will achieve their objectives of saving fuel and cutting emissions.
But there is more than this project to just replacing one diesel engine with a battery pack and seeing what the savings are.
It appears that the battery packs could have an effect on train reliability.
If the battery packs are truly like-for-like with the diesel engines, then what will be effect of replacing two and three diesel engines in a five-car Class 802 train with battery packs.
Will it be possible to develop an ability to setup the train according to the route? It’s only similar to the way Mercedes probably set up Lewis Hamilton’s car for each circuit.
But then the speed Formula One cars lap Silverstone is not that different to the maximum speed of a Hitachi Class 802 train.
What Will Happen To The Eighty-Seven Class 350 Trains
At the current time, West Midlands Trains have a fleet of eighty-seven Class 350 trains.
- The trains are being replaced by new Class 730 trains.
- They are of different specifications.
- The interiors vary, but there are a lot of tables.
- All are four-car sets.
- They are 110 mph trains.
- Thirty of the trains are dual-voltage.
- Fifty are owned by Angel Trains.
- Thirty-seven are owned by Porterbrook, who have looked at converting the trains to battery-electric operation.
- They are a bit of a dog’s breakfast, although they are excellent trains.
- The future of the trains is rather uncertain and even Porterbrook’s plans have gone rather quiet.
So perhaps a big dog ought to round up all these trains and turn them into something more useful.
Consider.
- All the trains were built in this century by Siemens in Germany.
- Siemens service the Class 350 trains at Kings Heath Depot in Northampton.
- Siemens have recently opened a factory in Goole to make new trains for the London Underground.
- Siemens are developing the Mireo Plus B, which is a battery-electric multiple unit in Germany.
Siemens must have the knowledge and experience to turn these trains into a quality fleet of battery-electric trains.
- Thirty would be dual-voltage and fifty-seven would be 25 KVAC overhead only.
- All would be 110 mph trains.
- I doubt there would be many places on the UK rail network, where they couldn’t run.
All appear to be in excellent condition, as these pictures show.
I very much feel, that these fleets could be converted into a quality fleet of very useful battery-electric trains.
Charging The Batteries
Most of the charging would be done from existing electrification, but as all trains have pantographs, they could use specially-erected short lengths of 25 KVAC overhead wires or charging systems like the Furrer + Frey Voltap system.
Possible Routes
I will start with the dual-voltage trains.
- Uckfield Branch, where a charger would be needed at Uckfield station.
- Marshlink Line
- Basingstoke and Exeter, where chargers would be needed at Salisbury and Exeter and possibly Yeovil Junction.
I feel with 25 KVAC overhead applications, we will soon run out of trains.
Battery Train Fast Charging Station Tested
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
A prototype Voltap rapid charging station for battery trains has been tested under real-world conditions for the first time.
The Voltap system is from Furrer + Frey and this is the data sheet on their web site, which is entitled Voltap Charging Station For Battery Trains.
Looking at the pictures in the article, the system seems to consist of two components.
- An overhead conductor rail suspended from pantries on the platform.
- A container that contains all the power supplies and control systems.
It certainly looks to be a simple system to install and operate.
- Charging would appear to take place through the pantograph, with no cables to handle.
- It is claimed to be able to charge a train in an extremely short time.
- The system is designed for areas, where the electricity network is perhaps a bit weaker.
- It is available in 15 KVAC and 25 KVAC.
- The system is future-proofed.
I can see these being suitable for several stations in the UK.
Norfolk And Suffolk
As an example, it looks like all the branch lines in Norfolk and Suffolk could be made suitable for battery-electric trains with Voltap systems at Cromer, Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Sheringham, Sudbury and Yarmouth.
Note.
- The Class 755 trains would be converted to battery-electric trains.
- Some stations would need more than one platform to have a charger.
- There may be other chargers to ensure that services like Norwich and Stansted Airport could be run electrically.
These pictures show Class 755 trains in various East Anglian stations.
Felixstowe and some other stations may need a slightly different installation due to the narrow platforms, but I’m sure Furrer + Frey have installations for all platforms.
I think Great British Railways are going to need a lot of these chargers and the battery-electric trains to go with them.
The Uckfield Branch
The Uckfield Branch probably needs to have some form of charging at Uckfield station.
The picture shows the single long platform at Uckfield station.
Consider.
- Trains to work the branch will need to be able to use third-rail electrification between London Bridge station and Hurst Green junction.
- Hurst Green junction to Uckfield station and back is probably too far for a battery-electric train, so charging will be needed at Uckfield station.
- Third-rail charging could be used, but I suspect that Health and Safety will say no!
But using a dual-voltage train and a Voltap system at Uckfield station would probably be ideal.
Middlesbrough
From December the 13th, LNER will be running a new daily service between Middlesbrough and London, which I described in LNER’s Middlesbrough And London Service Starts On December 13th.
The route is fully electrified except for between Middlesbrough and Longlands Junction, where it joins the electrification of the East Coast Main Line, which is a distance of twenty-two miles.
Hitachi are developing a battery-train, which they call the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- LNER’s current Class 800 trains will probably be able to be converted to this train.
- Normally, these trains have three diesel generators.
- A range on battery power of upwards of forty miles would be expected.
If the range on battery-power can be stretched to perhaps sixty miles, this train should be capable of serving Middlesbrough without the need for any extra charging at the terminus.
I have just looked at the planned path of the first train on December 13th.
- The train comes from Heaton depot in Newcastle via Sunderland and Hartlepool.
- It passes through Middlesbrough station.
- It then reverses amongst the chemical and steel works to the East, before returning to Middlesbrough station.
Once back at Middlesbrough station, it waits for eight minutes before leaving for London.
It looks to me to be a safe route, to make sure that the train leaves on time. It also only occupies the platform at Middlesbrough station for less than ten minutes.
But it would also be possible to find space amongst the chemical and steel works to find space for a well-designed reversing siding with refuelling for the diesel-electric trains or a Voltap charging system for a battery-electric train.
Lincoln
I have been looking at the pattern of LNER’s London and Lincoln service today.
- There have been six trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
- Trains going North take up to seven minutes to unload passengers at Lincoln station before moving on to Lincoln Terrace C. H. S., which I would assume is a convenient reversing siding.
- Trains going South wait up to thirty-forty minutes at Lincoln station after arriving from Lincoln Terrace C. H. S., before leaving for Kings Cross.
It looks to me, that if London and Lincoln were to be run by a Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, that the timings would be ideal for charging the batteries on the train in either the reversing siding or the station.
But surely, the charging system in the station would allow extension of the service to Grimsby and Cleethorpes, which has been stated as being part of LNER’s plans.
This picture shows Lincoln station.
I suspect that Swiss ingenuity could fit a Voltap charging system in the station.
These are a few distances from Lincoln station.
- Cleethorpes – 47.2 miles
- Doncaster – 35.4 miles
- Newark North Gate – 16.6 miles
- Peterborough – 56.9 miles
How many of these destinations could be reached by a battery-electric train, that had been fully-charged at Lincoln station.
The Anonymous Widower 