Bombardier's battery powered tram completes test

Rail technology company Bombardier Transportation has successfully completed a 41.6 km catenary-free test run using a Bombardier-built tram, powered entirely by its Primove battery in combination with Bombardier Mitrac. The test run was conducted in the German city of Mannheim on the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV) network. RNV began using SuperCaps energy storage systems in 2009 and has integrated this technology into 30 of their trams. This provided sufficient energy for short CFO distances. However, the l
November 5, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Rail technology company 513 Bombardier Transportation has successfully completed a 41.6 km catenary-free test run using a Bombardier-built tram, powered entirely by its Primove battery in combination with Bombardier Mitrac. The test run was conducted in the German city of Mannheim on the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr (RNV) network.

RNV began using SuperCaps energy storage systems in 2009 and has integrated this technology into 30 of their trams. This provided sufficient energy for short CFO distances. However, the latest generation of Bombardier's Primove battery system has been specifically developed for use with CFO where greater distances need to be covered.

The Primove battery and Mitrac propulsion equipment combination has been in successful revenue service on the Hexi line in Nanjing, China since August 2014. Six trams operate without overhead cables on 90 per cent of the lines. The batteries are charged seamlessly during passenger service via the pantograph, statically at tram stops, and dynamically during acceleration. On this demanding route, the CFO propulsion system has proven its suitability for almost any tram line worldwide.

Related Content

  • June 23, 2016
    Battery vehicle ‘now viable for very long distances’
    The Tesla 3 gets nearly double the range of the Nissan Leaf by using nearly double the amount of battery but engineers are using a multitude of work rounds to do better: aerodynamics, light-weighting even including structural electronics where dumb structure is replaced by supercapacitors or solid state batteries. Add more efficient motors and powertrain, says Dr Peter Harrop, chairman of IDTechEx Research in its report Industrial and Commercial Electric Vehicles on Land 2016-2026. He goes on to say that
    Read More
  • September 15, 2014
    CCTV brings transit safety into view
    David Crawford looks at camera-based vulnerable road users protection systems.Safe and efficient operation of road-based transit depends on minimising the risks of incidents involving other vehicles or vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and passengers boarding or alighting from buses or trams. The extent and quality of the visibility available to drivers is crucial in preventing and avoiding incidents. Conventionally, they have had to rely on fairly basic equipment - essentially the human
    Read More
  • May 31, 2013
    Temporary traffic monitoring with Bluetooth and wi-fi
    David Crawford reviews developments in temporary ITS. Widespread take-up of technologies such as Bluetooth and wi-fi are encouraging the emergence of more sophisticated, while still cost effective, ITS responses to the traffic issues posed by temporary road situations such as work zones and special events. Andy Graham of traffic solutions specialists White Willow Consulting says: “A machine-to-machine radio link is far easier and cheaper than reading characters on a plate.” There can be other plusses. Tech
    Read More
  • December 3, 2018
    EVs & smart cities: Tritium keeps things moving
    Electric vehicles are widely expected to play a major role in the smarter, cleaner cities of the future. Paul Sernia explains why – and looks at the place of ultra-rapid chargers as part of a versatile public infrastructure Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely expected to play a major role in the smarter, cleaner cities of the future. With no dirty tailpipe, EVs can help improve the polluted air of inner cities. And when deployed as widely shared assets – through car clubs, ride-sharing services and taxi
    Read More

Highlighted Content