A battery-electric prototype built by Wabtec left Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday for a an event in Pittsburgh.
The FLXdrive locomotive was accompanied by ET44C6 demonstrator No. 2044.
Both are appearing at the Sept. 10 Freight 2030 event that focuses on the future of railroads.
The battery-powered locomotive had tested earlier this year in California on BNSF.
Pittsburgh-based Wabtec released findings on Monday showing that its battery-powered locomotive cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 11 percent during testing.
Wabtec’s FLXdrive locomotive tested over 13,000 miles on BNSF in California earlier this year.
The next step in the development of a battery-electric locomotive, Wabtec said, will be creating battery capacity of more than 6 megawatt hours, which could reduce the fuel consumption and carbon emissions of a locomotive consist by up to 30 percent.
Such a locomotive could begin revenue service “in the next few years,” Wabtec said in a news release.
Wabtec said its efforts to develop zero-emission locomotives using batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and hydrogen internal combustion engines has “a clear path” to power new locomotives and re-power existing engines — with those forms of power.
The locomotives used in the BNSF test had 18,000 lithium-ion battery cells with 2.4 megawatts of power that were charged at rail yards and through regenerative braking.
A grant of $22.6 million from the California Air Resources Board to Wabtec, BNSF, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District paid for the testing.
The Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive has been sent back to the company’s locomotive assembly plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, after completing tests on BNSF.
Wabtec officials said the testing, conducted largely in Southern California, had the prototype work for more than 13,000 miles.
They said test results were encouraging. Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana said the locomotive “was able to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions by more than 11 percent.”
Calling that a “game-changer in decarbonizing rail,” Santana said his company continues to see growing interest in next generation motive power and that battery-electric will be part of his company’s long-term growth.
Wabtec officials said they are having “some strong discussions with customers.”
A number of railroads, including Class 1 systems Canadian Pacific and Canadian National, have begun studying motive power that does not use diesel fuel.
CP is developing a hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive and CN has been examining various options.
BNSF spokeswoman Amy Casas said the Wabtec battery prototype met expectations for efficiency performance and confirmed the potential of this technology.
More detailed reports on the locomotive’s performance are expected to be released in the coming months.
Pittsburgh-based Wabtec wants Congress to help it fund development of zero-emission locomotives.
Wabtec said it has one such engine, the FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive, now undergoing testing on BNSF in California.
Wabtec CEO Rafael Santana said the federal funding of the Freight Rail Innovation Institute will help it develop zero-emissions locomotive technology to replace the diesel by 2030.
“Wabtec’s goal is to develop the next generation of zero-emission locomotives. Wabtec has a clear path to power new locomotives – and repower existing locomotives – with batteries, hydrogen internal combustion engines, and hydrogen fuel cells,” Santana told the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Santana said the institute is partnering with short line holding company Genesee & Wyoming, and Carnegie Mellon University to develop a new generation of motive power.
Santana said the institute will conduct research, demonstration, and commercialization of technology that can eliminate railroads’ use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.
In his testimony, Santana said new network logistics technology would enable railroads to shift highway traffic to rail.
The changes that Santana described include technology to enable railroads to move block signal systems and implement more sophisticated network management software that would increase rail line capacity by 50 percent.
“Each diesel-powered locomotive converted to alternative energy sources can save up to 3,000 tons of [carbon dioxide] per year,” Santana said.
A FLXDrive battery-electric locomotive is expected to leave the Wabtec locomotive assembly plant soon to begin testing on BNSF.
Trains magazine reported on its website that the unit was spotted this week sitting outside the Erie plant with two new BNSF locomotives.
The battery-operated red and gray locomotive will be tested next year in California between Stockton and Barstow.
The project is being funded in part by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
The test locomotive can operate independently, but testing is focus on using the unit to create a hybrid consist mixing diesel and electric power.
Wabtec this week tested a battery-powered locomotive on the test track outside its locomotive assembly plant in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Trains magazine reported that it was the first test run of such a locomotive
The unit tested is the first to rely primarily on batteries for propulsion and will be the first such locomotive to enter domestic mainline service.
The unit carries reporting mark GECX 6000 and was built to BNSF specifications including a C4 truck.
Trains said that once the testing is finished in the next few months, No. 6000 is expected to be painted into a Wabtec demonstrator livery.
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