After four years of development, a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery-powered shunter locomotive is on the move in the UK.
The HydroShunter project, which set out to retrofit a Class 8 diesel shunter with zero-emission technology, has now unveiled its working prototype – offering a glimpse into how hydrogen could help extend the life of heritage locomotives.
On January 31, project partners Severn Valley Railway, University of Birmingham and Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions revealed the working fuel cell and battery-powered train.
Equipped with an 80kW fuel cell and 230kWh battery system, the train has up to 250kW of traction power and can reach up to 15mph.
With up to 60kg of storage, the firms say it has an estimated running time of 20 hours.
The new system accommodates the former engine bay of the locomotive and is hoped to show how the technology could futureproof heritage locomotives.
Launched in 2021, the project team originally planned to take the fuel cell system from hydrogen-powered buses but had to change course after the fuel cell proved too powerful and the battery too small for the application.
While seeing the locomotive move comes as a major step in the project, Vanguard has said the commissioning and testing of the hydrogen system, as well as wider vehicle trials, will follow in the coming weeks.
The development comes amid wider failures of purely hydrogen-powered rail projects in Europe. In November, German rail operator RMV said it would return to using diesel trains until the end of 2025 after its fleet of 14 Alstom hydrogen trains was recalled.
Another German operator was forced to convert back to diesel trains and cancel some services due to a major hydrogen supply disruption last summer.
Hydrogen rail development in Europe
Much noise has been made about hydrogen rail transport in recent months. With Europe leading the charge for the use case, media reports have cited various teething issues in the regions, while others have written off its potential altogether.
While large sums of money are being put towards trialling and commercially running hydrogen-powered trains to cover the gap in cost compared with conventional trains in the union, the application, as with any emerging technology, appears to be facing some challenges.
Europe is no stranger to rail. With over 200,000km of railway across the bloc in 20201, the transportation method continues to play a key role in the continent. In 2020, passengers travelled approximately 378 billion passenger kilometres, making it the second-largest market for rail passenger traffic globally2, according to Statista.
Seen as the most sustainable form of land transport, representing less than 0.5% of total EU carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, railway operators and train manufacturers are eyeing hydrogen as a means to further decarbonise transport.
Over the last decades, a significant portion of European rail operators has shifted away from diesel-powered fleets, partly thanks to 60% of the continent’s main rail lines already being electrified and 80% of traffic running on those lines3.
However, with increasing rail demand looking set to return to pre-pandemic levels, economic limits to complete rail electrification, there are challenges that will require a coordinated effort to establish a clean, competitive, and efficient next generation of railway…
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