Introduction of the first battery-electric locomotive in the Netherlands

Strukton Power is working on the first electrically powered locomotive with a battery in the Netherlands for railway maintenance. The locomotive, which is scheduled to make its first test run this year, uses electricity from both the overhead line and batteries. This makes it possible to drive completely emission-free. During the Power Electronics & Energy Storage event, organized by the Federation of Technology Industries (FHI), Nico Baars and Usman Hassan will give a presentation on behalf of Strukton about the innovative locomotive. FHI spoke with design engineer Nico Baars about the state of affairs regarding the train of the future.

“Until now, it has not been possible to drive completely emission-free, because rail routes never have 100% electricity,” Baars explains. “About 75% of the railway kilometers are electrified. At shunting yards and during track maintenance, there is often no overhead line or it is there but not in use. In such a case, the driver is forced to switch to a diesel locomotive, but there are many disadvantages to this. It is expensive, polluting and outdated.”

Upgrade

Baars and his colleagues wondered how they could realize a sustainable alternative to the diesel locomotive in the foreseeable future. Baars: “We got the idea to equip existing electric locomotives with a battery so that they can continue driving without having to take an extra diesel locomotive with them. The locomotives are getting an 'upgrade', as it were, so that they switch to a battery for the last kilometers, the route where you approach a destination at low speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.”

Unique combination

The idea of an 'electric battery train' is not new. Baars: “Battery technology was introduced into the rail world in the 1990s and we have been powering trains electrically for more than a hundred years. What makes the hybrid locomotive unique is the combination of both technologies. Until recently, there were no locomotives that could do both: run electrically at high speed and be powered by a battery.”

No CO2 emissions

The electric battery locomotive produces no CO2 emissions locally, runs smoother and can be used immediately - unlike diesel engines that require more time to start up. The battery charges itself while driving, provided there is an overhead line. If this is not available, a charging point at the depot offers a solution. “I prefer not to talk about an invention, but about an innovation. We make smart use of existing techniques,” says Baars.

Lower costs

Breathing new life into old locomotives further protects the environment. “Of course you can also apply this technology to new locomotives, but we deliberately do not do that. Locomotives that are 25 years or older are often in excellent condition and by opting for circularity the costs for the customer are approximately 50 percent lower. This means that transport companies are more willing to purchase a hybrid locomotive.”

The first hybrid trains are now zooming through the landscape in England. “There are passenger trains running there that use our electric drives with batteries,” says Baars. He is not surprised that our neighbors across the street are getting ahead of the troops. “In England they are further along in their plans for an emission-free future without diesel. They have to, because there are far fewer overhead lines in the British countryside than in the Netherlands. The electrical facilities on the track are also less extensive than ours.”

Emission-free future

According to Baars, there is also increasing interest in hybrid means of transport in the Netherlands. For example, there was recently a test with a hybrid passenger vehicle and a hydrogen train. Although the innovative maintenance locomotive is technically ready for use, not all permits have been obtained yet. Baars: “The technology is always ahead of the permits. You must be able to demonstrate that the train works and is safe.”

If all goes well, Baars hopes that the first hybrid locomotive will be running on Dutch tracks at the end of this year. And there is already interest from abroad. “We work together worldwide to make rail maintenance more sustainable. The rail world is truly an international world where we use each other's expertise and experiences. Together we dream of an emission-free future of railway maintenance.”

Would you like to know more about the hybrid locomotive? Then come to the presentation by Nico Baars and his colleague on June 14 at the Power Electronics and Energy Storage event in the 1931 conference center in 's-Hertogenbosch. You can register for the event free of charge via: https://fhi.nl/powerelectronicsevent/.