In preparation for the debut of the world's first fuel cell hybrid railcar in April 2007, East Japan Railway Co. will start its in-house test operations in July 2006. The company, which has been working to develop the railcar that uses hydrogen as fuel, announced on April 11, 2006 that it will start test runs on regular tracks from April 2007.

This development is a modification of the New Energy Train (NE train¡Ëoriginally developed as a diesel-electric hybrid railcar, replacing the engine and generator with fuel cells. The test railcar is equipped with two 65 kW solid polymer fuel cells and 19 kWh lithium-ion storage batteries. The efficient control system of this railcar supplies the necessary electric power from both the fuel cells and the storage batteries when accelerating, and stores the electric power produced by the regenerative brakes in the storage batteries when braking.

The company has been researching fuel cell systems to create railcars that can reduce impacts on the global environment and the depletion of fossil fuels. This new self-contained motive system can also be expected to make the railway infrastructure less intrusive and improve the visual landscape around railways.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/press/20060401/index.html
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/development/theme/environment/environment01.html

Posted: 2006/08/04 04:06:20 PM
Japanese version

TAG Energy , Non-manufacturing industry , Transportation