[Image above] The FLIRT H2 hydrogen-powered train by Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail recently set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled by a hydrogen-powered passenger train without refueling or recharging. Credit: Stadler Rail
Hydrogen hype is at an all-time high in the manufacturing industry, where numerous promising tests in the past year have led to increased investments and upscaled experiments. Translating this excitement to the transportation sector, though, is a much slower process.
As explained in a recent Tech Brew article, hydrogen fuel cell technology has lagged behind the development and adoption of battery-electric automobiles due in part to higher fabrication costs and the lack of a robust fueling network, both key factors to consider when designing smaller passenger vehicles.
However, fuel cells hold an edge in heavy-duty long-haul applications, where vehicles are expected to travel long distances with tons of cargo and stop only a few times for fast refueling.
Several automobile manufacturers are beginning development of hydrogen-powered semitrucks, but rail companies are farther along in this journey, with hydrogen-powered trains already in service in several European countries and some prototypes undergoing testing across Asia.
Hydrogen-powered trains will soon make their debut in the United States as well thanks to a partnership between California’s San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) and Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail AG.
In 2019, SBCTA and Stadler signed a contract to manufacture the first two-car hydrogen-powered passenger trains to operate in the United States. Stadler debuted the train, called FLIRT H2, at InnoTrans 2022, and in October 2023 and February 2024, the California Department of Transportation signed additional multimillion-dollar contracts with Stadler for more FLIRT H2 trains.
The FLIRT H2 hydrogen-powered train has undergone extensive testing in Switzerland, but a recent test in Colorado made headlines for setting a new Guinness World Record. During this test, which took place in March 2024, the train traveled 1,741.7 miles (2,803 kilometers) for more than 46 hours without stopping to refuel or recharge.
While the test took place under ideal conditions that would be difficult to replicate under everyday passenger operations, “This [test] is a monumental achievement from our entire team,” says Ansgar Brockmeyer, executive vice president of marketing and sales at Stadler, in a press release.
View clips from Stadler’s historic run in the video below.