Ahybrid train is alocomotive,railcar ortrain that uses an onboardrechargeable energy storage system (RESS), placed between the power source (often adiesel engineprime mover) and the traction transmission system connected to the wheels. Since most diesel locomotives are diesel-electric, they have all the components of a series hybrid transmission except the storage battery, making this a relatively simple prospect.
Surplus energy from the power source, or energy derived fromregenerative braking, charges the storage system. During acceleration, stored energy is directed to the transmission system, boosting that available from the main power source. In existing designs, the storage system can be electrictraction batteries, ora flywheel. The energy source isdiesel,liquefied petroleum gas, orhydrogen (forfuel cells) and transmission isdirect mechanical,electric orhydrostatic.[citation needed]
Diesel electric locomotives may have most of what they need for regenerative braking since they might already usedynamic braking. This uses the traction motors as generators to convert much of the train's kinetic energy to electrical energy, but without a way to store the generated electricity it is simply converted to heat with large rooftop resistor banks and dumped to the atmosphere with the aid of cooling fans.
Using a storage system means that a non-fully electric train can use regenerative (as opposed to merely dynamic) braking, and even shut down the main power source whilst idling or stationary. Reducing energy consumption provides environmental benefits and economic savings.[1] A smaller scale version of the concept is found in hybrid automobiles, such as theChevrolet Volt.
The Patton Motor Car, manufactured byPatton Motor Company, was a gas-electric hybrid system, although the termhybrid was not yet in use. William H. Patton filed for a patent on February 25, 1889; the drawings on his patent application resemble later descriptions of his first prototype.[2] Patton built atram car that was in experimental service inPullman, Illinois in 1891 and a small Pattonlocomotive was sold to astreet railway company inCedar Falls, Iowa in 1897. The latter used a 2-cylinder, 25 hp gasoline engine to drive a 220-volt generator that served to charge the 200-Ampere hour 100-celllead acid battery in parallel with the traction motors. The engine ran at constant speed, with a shunt-wound generator that also served as an electric starter motor. A conventionalseries-parallel controller was used for the two 35 hptraction motors that drove the wheels of the locomotive.[3][4][5]
The termmixed drive train came to be used at the turn of twentieth century. ThePieper system was applied to Belgian (Vicinal tramway) and French (Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de Grande Banlieue) railcars as early as 1911.[6][7]
The Thomas system, manufactured by Thomas Transmission Ltd. of England, which is similar in design to the mechanical part of theHybrid Synergy Drive, was used in theUnited Kingdom and tested inNew Zealand in aNZR RM class railcar.[8]
In 1986,Czechoslovak locomotive manufacturerČKD built a prototype hybrid shunting locomotive termed the DA 600. The locomotive was powered a 190 kW diesel engine and fourelectric motors, with a maximum overall power 360 kW powered from batteries. The batteries were recharged while the diesel engine was running, by regenerative braking or from external electric power.[9]
After tests on theRailway test circuit Velim and some minor tweaks, the locomotive was lent to the Olomouc train depot and successfully operated there for ten years. Czechoslovaksocialist economics failed to start mass production, mainly because of a lack of proper battery manufacturing capacities.[10]
In May 2003,JR East started test runs using aKiYa E991 "NE Train" ("New Energy Train") railcar, testing the system performance in cold regions.
The design had two 65-kilowatt fuel cells and sixhydrogen tanks under the floor, with alithium-ion battery on the roof. The test train was capable of 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph) with a range of 50–100 kilometres (31–62 mi) between hydrogen refills. Research was underway into the use ofregenerative braking to recharge the test train's batteries, intending to increase the range further. JR had stated that it hoped to introduce the train into scheduled local service during the summer of 2007.[11] Technology tested on this train was incorporated in theKiHa E200 diesel/battery railcars entering service in 2007.
The firstJR Freight Class HD300 shunting locomotive was delivered fromToshiba on 30 March 2010.[12] The new locomotive useslithium ion batteries, and is designed to reduce exhaust emissions by at least 30% to 40% and noise levels by at least 10 dB compared with existingClass DE10 diesel locomotives.[13][14]
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Sinara transport machines is developing the TEM9H, a hybrid version of its TEM9 series dieselshunting locomotives, at itsLyudinovsky Locomotive Plant. This is a 1,200 horsepower, four-axle, locomotive withlithium-ion batteries,supercondensers andAC motors. It is planned to be in production early in 2013.[15]
A Sunday-service operated on theStourbridge Town Branch Line for a period of two years, using aflywheel-based energy storage system built byParry People Movers. In 2008, a pair ofBritish Rail Class 139 railcars were ordered to provide full service on the branch line from 2009 onwards.
During 2007, a modifiedClass 43 power car ran on theGreat Central Railway and then as part of the Network RailNew Measurement Train (a 200-kilometre per hour track-recording train). TheHitachi developed system used a battery-assisted diesel-electric drive system; the hope being that it would demonstrate a cut in emissions by up to 50 percent and a reduction in fuel consumption costs of 20 percent.[16] The modified locomotive, namedHayabusa, was semi-permanently attached to a converted passenger carriage containing the battery bank during the testing period.
Since 2015,Vivarail has converted some formerLondon Underground D78 Stock for rural services, branding them asD-Train. Some of these convertedClass 230 units employ hybrid diesel-electric series propulsion.
In 2022, Chiltern introduced to revenue service aClass 168 whose diesel hydraulic transmission had been retrofitted with a diesel hybrid drive.[17]
In 2004,Railpower Technologies, a Canadian company, began running pilots in the United States with theGreen Goat shunting locomotives. The trials led to orders by theUnion Pacific andCanadian Pacific Railways, starting in early 2005. These diesel-electric hybrid trains are expected to cut emissions by up to 90 percent and to decrease fuel consumption by up to sixty percent, when compared to conventional diesel-powered locomotives. The "Green Goat" locomotives were intended to be used in marshalling yards.[18][19][20]
General Electric (GE) put their hybrid locomotive[21] on display atLos Angeles Union Station on May 24, 2007.[22] The locomotive usedregenerative braking and a bank of high-capacitybatteries that GE was constructing to achieve itsfuel savings and to achieve higheremissions standards than previous ordinary diesel locomotives. It was expected to join GE's current line ofEvolution Series locomotives[23] as of May 2007[update].
The city ofSavannah, Georgia tested the operation of aW class Melbourne tram in service as abiodiesel fuelled hybrid with on board battery storage in late 2008. Regular service along theRiver Street Streetcar started on February 11, 2009.[24][25]
Hitachi Hybrid trains began construction in July 2019. They will be available throughout Greece from 2022.
Between 2021 and 2022, the French regions ofCentre-Val de Loire,Occitanie,Nouvelle Aquitaine andGrand Est in partnership withSNCF andAlstom, will start test runs using an hybridRegiolis railcar (Diesel/Battery), before starting regular service on 2023.[26][27][28][29]
Progress Rail delivered two hybrid EMD GT38H locomotives to Brazil around October of 2023, making them the first two in Brazilian revenue freight service.[30]
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