Some railroads and locomotive manufacturers have evaluated the prospect of introducing fuel cell locomotives in the next 15-30 years.
A basic 3.6-ton, 17 kW hydrogen (power unit), guided mine train was shown in 2002. It was smaller than usual on a hydrogen-powered rail at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and entered service in 2007. The rail-powered GG20B is another representation of the fuel cell electric train.
Environmental change is accelerating, and it’s time to limit carbon emissions from transportation – immediately.
The report, a study titled “Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Utilization in the Railroad Environment,” concludes that fuel cell trains will play a critical role in the evolution of a zero-emissions economy. In fact, the report says, by 2030, many newly acquired rail vehicles in Europe could be hydrogen-fueled.
Hydrogen-powered trains have stabilized to revolutionize the rail industry as a zero-emission, cost-effective and high-performance diesel option.
A recent study has shown that hydrogen trains have real commercial potential, but more work needs to be done to test and increase the product’s availability for shunting and long-haul freight transportation.
Hydrogen fuel cell train market share may grow to forty one percent by 2030 in Europe, given the optimistic growth and development conditions in the market. Ballard is leading the industry in creating explicit rail solutions.
Benefits of fuel cell electric locomotives:
Flexible degrees of hybridization
Developing composite battery and fuel cell layouts is critical to increasing range and performance.
Composite fuel cell formulations
It can support a weight of 5,000 tons and travel at about 180 km/h, covering a long range of about 700 km.
Adaptable kits are achieved by changing the ratio of fuel cells to batteries.
Faster refueling, less downtime
Hydrogen-powered rail cars are refueled in less than 20 minutes and can run without refueling for more than 18 hours.
No functional limitations of 100% battery configurations
Battery-powered trains have significant disadvantages, including shorter travel distances and increased downtime required for battery recovery. As a result, they are only suitable for certain alignments and routes, significantly limiting the options available to rail operators.
Fuel cell trains can operate efficiently on a wider range of tracks with virtually no downtime. Fuel cell trains make the most monetary sense when used on longer non-electrified routes of more than 100 km.