NICK HUGHES, SALES DIRECTOR AT HITACHI RAIL EUROPE, OUTLINES
THE HOW THE MANUFACTURER IS EMBRACING THE DEVELOPMENT OF BATTERY TECHNOLOGY
As we move into 2018 I have been reflecting on the discussion in the industry about the need to deliver lower emission trains.
Rail Minister Paul Maynard said in the Department for Transport’s rolling stock perspective document that he wanted train manufacturers and operators to ‘put forward their ideas for the use of alternative energy sources, including hydrogen and battery technologies, as part of franchise proposals to meet sustainability and environmental targets’.
Later Transport Secretary Chris Grayling went on to say in the strategic vision report that ‘we expect to see rail innovating to improve emissions performance through new low-emission powertrain technology’.
When it comes to finding alternative technologies, Hitachi has for many years seen great potential in battery technology. We began studying on-train storage energy systems in 2003. Working jointly with operational partners in Japan and in the UK, we developed a realistic solution based on a lithium-ion battery that could store the braking energy and reuse it for the traction. Then came our V-train 2…
