Skip to main content

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

  • May 15, 2017
    Riyadh aims to build world’s biggest public transport system in five years
    The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is building the world's largest public transit system --- in just five years. It will be presenting the project at the Palais des Congrès, in Montreal, Quebec, during the global summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), this week. Managed by The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA), the project includes six metro lines covering 176 km and 85 stations, in addition to 24 bus routes covering 1,900 km and 3,000 stations and stops. At a
  • June 5, 2018
    Russia 2018 World Cup: ITS can win it
    Teams and supporters will cover vast distances in Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Stephane Clauss from Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions division examines how the latest camera technologies can be deployed to help things run smoothly over the next month or so... For one month, from June 14, Russia is hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. This is the largest country in the world and the distances between venues will be larger than at almost any other World Cup - bar the finals in the US and Brazil.
  • December 19, 2017
    Bombardier supplies 60 Aventra vehicles for London Rail Structure
    Bombardier has signed a contract with Porterbook and C2c to supply 60 of its Aventra vehicles to be used on the C2c rail franchise from September 2021 with the intention of increasing capacity and improving journeys for commuters into London. The overall value of the rolling stock and maintenance and support services contract is valued £105m ($139m) and will run until November 2029.
  • December 9, 2014
    Wireless bridges widen options for ITS upgrades
    Antaira Technologies’ marketing engineer Brian Roth explains why the increasing capacity of wireless bridges is reducing the cost of expanding and upgrading ITS networks. With more than half of the world’s population now living in cities, the need for efficient transportation of both people and goods has never been greater and that pressure is unlikely to ease any time soon. Indeed in many regions of the world the rate of urbanisation is still increasing as the demand for rural workers continues to decline.