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All-Electric German Bus-Tram-Train Hybrid Coming Soon
September 21st, 2011
By Ben Schiller
Read More: http://www.fastcompany.com/1781646/...ybrid-moves-forward-using-innovative-charging
Website: http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2010-2011/21/laboratory-on-wheels-autotram.jsp
Is it a bus? Is it a tram? Is it a train? Something of each, in fact--and something new, as well. Developed in Dresden, the AutoTram is a fully-electric, zero-emission light-train on wheels. The new bit is how the three-segmented vehicle is powered. Rather than running on a single charge like an electric car, it goes between charging stops, where it gets 30-second jolts of energy before continuing on. Ulrich Potthoff, head of the transport department at the Fraunhofer Institute, which is developing the concept, says the aim to have the dexterity and low-costs of a bus, without the noise and fumes. “We wanted it to be flexible and rather cheap like a bus system--less expensive than light rail. One way we achieve that is not to have any overhead line, or rails.â€
During the first, demonstration phase of the project, Fraunhofer packed the AutoTram with technology--fuel cells, flywheels, batteries--seeing what combination would work best. The challenge was to strike a balance between the power needed for acceleration, and the energy storage required for decent distances. For the full prototype, now being developed, Potthoff’s team has hit upon a mix of a battery and “super-capacitors†which can store large amounts of power for short periods. The AutoTram can travel up to 1.2 miles before it needs to be recharged, locking itself into a dock beneath a passenger platform where it gets a burst of up to 700 volts. Potthoff says 1.2 miles should be plenty in most cities (the average distance between stops in Germany is about 0.3 miles). But just in case something goes wrong, there is a back-up diesel-based electric generator.
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September 21st, 2011
By Ben Schiller
Read More: http://www.fastcompany.com/1781646/...ybrid-moves-forward-using-innovative-charging
Website: http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2010-2011/21/laboratory-on-wheels-autotram.jsp
Is it a bus? Is it a tram? Is it a train? Something of each, in fact--and something new, as well. Developed in Dresden, the AutoTram is a fully-electric, zero-emission light-train on wheels. The new bit is how the three-segmented vehicle is powered. Rather than running on a single charge like an electric car, it goes between charging stops, where it gets 30-second jolts of energy before continuing on. Ulrich Potthoff, head of the transport department at the Fraunhofer Institute, which is developing the concept, says the aim to have the dexterity and low-costs of a bus, without the noise and fumes. “We wanted it to be flexible and rather cheap like a bus system--less expensive than light rail. One way we achieve that is not to have any overhead line, or rails.â€
During the first, demonstration phase of the project, Fraunhofer packed the AutoTram with technology--fuel cells, flywheels, batteries--seeing what combination would work best. The challenge was to strike a balance between the power needed for acceleration, and the energy storage required for decent distances. For the full prototype, now being developed, Potthoff’s team has hit upon a mix of a battery and “super-capacitors†which can store large amounts of power for short periods. The AutoTram can travel up to 1.2 miles before it needs to be recharged, locking itself into a dock beneath a passenger platform where it gets a burst of up to 700 volts. Potthoff says 1.2 miles should be plenty in most cities (the average distance between stops in Germany is about 0.3 miles). But just in case something goes wrong, there is a back-up diesel-based electric generator.
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