The Train of the Future Might Be Battery-Powered

The Train of the Future Might Be Battery-Powered


Jan 14, 2015

By FEARGUS O'SULLIVAN

Read More: http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/01/the-train-of-the-future-might-be-battery-powered/384522/

This week, the U.K. has been quietly making transit history: it’s just brought the country’s only battery-powered passenger train into service. The train, fitted with lithium phosphate and hot sodium nickel salt batteries, is now undergoing a trial run shuttling passengers on a 12-mile stretch to the northeast of London.

- The potential upsides to the wide availability of battery-powered passenger trains could be huge. Not only would trains run more smoothly and quietly, the cost of fitting them with batteries would be far lower than the expensive business of electrifying whole lines with overhead cables.

- A perfected version of this prototype could slash diesel use and replace it with something potentially much less polluting. What’s already a form of transport with low emissions could become one of the cleanest possible ways of getting from A to B.

- The current train still isn’t quite the shape of things to come. It’s a retrofitted version of Britain’s existing electric trains rather than an entirely new model. As such it still has a pantograph that can connect it to overhead cables. This will come in handy if the trial run meets problems, as the train will be able to raise this pantograph to restore power.

- More importantly, the train’s current battery life is short—very short. It can run for only about one hour, before requiring two hours’ worth of recharging. Until more powerful batteries and/or a less power-thirsty train are devised, this technology won’t be taking over on long distances anytime soon.

- Even as it stands, however, this battery-powered train could be a useful asset on some existing services. Take the 12-mile stretch on which the train is now being tested as an example. In a service day running from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., a battery-powered train running slightly below the U.K.’s average rail speed of 65 miles per hour could comfortably make 14 round trips and still have time to recharge. So the application here suggests short, shuttle-type services, such as an airport express route.

- The battery/pantograph hybrid could also help patch up the gaps between electrified lines. Britain has quite a few of these gaps, notably on small branch lines that run between the main rail routes across the country. While it wouldn’t work for a long journey, battery power could still tide electric trains over the short distances where no cable power is accessible.

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wasn't this discussed in another thread

Very interesting and a potential game changer as it would saving monstrous amounts of money in having to electrify all the lines.

I noticed the train tested was EMU so having overhead as a back-up is a nice option. Will they be able to do the same with modified DMU and have diesel as a backup.

I did the math, and battery power is even actually feasible even for HSR in theory -- if prices of lithium batteries (and cost of recycling) falls dramatically. Tesla is building gigafactories that may change the worldwide battery ballgame, as Tesla's first gigafactory exceeds the grand total of the entire planet's lithium battery production worldwide. This may actually turn the battery powered train into reality.

Tesla lithium gigafactories would be able to churn out pre-made battery packs (the size of a stack of plywood). You can output 10 megawatts from a floor-sized lithium battery about 4 inches thick covering 6 cars, according to the math of Tesla's battery output. Only five or six Tesla cars is needed to output a single megawatt, and you can embed those flat battery packs underneath the floor -- they are the size of a stack of plywood (approx ~4' x 7' and a few inches thick) embedded in the bottom of the car.

A company such as Tesla can manufacture pre-made flat battery packs, and train manufacturers can buy them, they can array them under the floor of a whole traincar, allowing approximately 1-2 megawatts power output per traincar (while raising the floor only about four or six inches, for a whole-floor-sized array of battery packs), adding nearly all-day-long battery power at low speeds, but with enough surge power output for very brisk full speed acceleration if necessary. Recharge overnight using cheap offpeak electricity, and/or even recharge off small electricified sections of rail (central urban areas, layovers, and stations) during times of electric surplus.

Some electric grid system now already use cargo container sized lithium battery assemblies in some electric grids (~20 megawatts output capable), as an uninterruptible power supply for city electric grids, stabilizing the voltage from sags and surges, and improving the "power factor" of a grid.

For Metrolinx is probably "at least 25 years from now" stuff, but the Tesla Gigafactory situation might speed up a bit. Imagine you electricify to Oakville, and then use batteries to make it to Hamilton. You'd recharge while you're travelling catenary in the Oakville-to-Union section. This new technology may even affect Metrolinx in 10-15 years, assuming the battery technology matures sufficiently fast enough. If you have enough catenary, you only need enough battery to raise the floor about 3 or so inches, and still get enough battery capacity to make it all the way to Hamilton at decent commuter train speeds; and they can certainly recharge fast enough while travelling the Oakville catenary.

Tesla & Bombardier should begin studying this together, for a pilot project on one line, even if not for a Canadian line. Modify an existing EMU to have space for a battery underneath the floor, using an agreed-standardized battery module (perhaps the same Tesla modules used for cars, and put approximately 8 to 10 modules per traincar, underneath the passenger floor). The Gigafactory would make it possible to have these megawatt-output-capable modules for probably under $100,000 per traincar (say, 100KW lithium battery output module $10K each, times 10 modules per car, for installation under the passenger trainfloor) -- that is how seriously the new Gigafactory situation is going to shake the lithium battery market in the coming years.

Trams in Sevilla and Bordeaux run for part of their routes on lines without any visible overhead wires. Do they have batteries or is there another technology at work there? Anyway, the sections without overhead wires look terrific.

The M-1 Line (a streetcar project being built) in Detroit will only have overhead wiring for the central section, between Interstate 75 and Canfield Street. Over half of the streetcar will operate from a battery.

Operating the Hurontario-Main LRT through Downtown Brampton can also be operated with battery power, though this would be less than 10% of the proposed line's length; the battery operation meant to appease affluent NIMBYs on Main Street and some downtown business interests who are still opposed to the project.

That said, I remain skeptical of long off-wire battery operation.

It should include recharging at stations to prolong the use of the batteries.

ShonTron said:

The M-1 Line (a streetcar project being built) in Detroit will only have overhead wiring for the central section, between Interstate 75 and Canfield Street. Over half of the streetcar will operate from a battery.

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I'm shocked Detroit found enough money to build a new transit line. I thought they were broke.

Anyways, I think Detroit is going to regret going battery powered. Battery replacements are very expensive. It also means that their system is incompatible with most LRVs. Wiring the 2.5 km may be cheaper in the long run.

M II A II R II K said:

It should include recharging at stations to prolong the use of the batteries.

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Based on what ShonTron said, the unwired section should be about 2.5 km. I'd imagine that their batteries will be able to handle that very short hop without issue.

pman said:

Trams in Sevilla and Bordeaux run for part of their routes on lines without any visible overhead wires. Do they have batteries or is there another technology at work there? Anyway, the sections without overhead wires look terrific.

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Sevilla is using a rapid charge accumulator. So yes it is battery powered.

Source: http://www.globalmasstransit.net/archive.php?id=15973

Bordeaux uses a system called APS - alimentation par sol. Basically, it's a third rail system with the power source being a flat rail that lies between the other two so it's not battery powered. On the other water front, Nice has a tram that uses battery power through the centre of the city, I'm not sure how what the distance is but it couldn't be more than a couple kms.

TheTigerMaster said:

I'm shocked Detroit found enough money to build a new transit line. I thought they were broke.

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It is being built by a private consortium in partnership with the Detroit Dept. of Transporation. IIRC, after one of the more detailed estimates, the Federal government pulled all their support for the light-rail and said they'd support a BRT, and the private consortium decided to build the rail system themselves. Although I think the Feds pledged some money to it quite recently.

The line is tied in to all the money being thrown at the new Detroit Red Wings arena, which is supposed to be the anchor for a massive retail/entertainment/office/residential area.

This is a great idea. The recharging stations (located at each station, the largest being at terminal stations and at rail yards) can be solar-powered even.

If the stops had high amperage battery chargers like Winnipeg's for their electric buses, especially at terminals, maybe the range or charging downtime could be extended.

Tesla's SuperChargers can cram a 3-hour battery life into a Tesla car in just 20-30 minutes, so it is technologically theoretically possible to do a service time to charge time ratio that's far greater than this trial electric train. Especially if the train adds regenerative braking, that would hugely benefit the public transit profile.