[Image above] Credit: BombardierRail, YouTube
Pretty soon gasoline and diesel fuel could be an obsolete transportation fuel source.
Electric cars have already arrived. This past summer we watched a non-pilot fly an airplane powered by a battery.
Today we bring you a battery-operated train. And we don’t mean a toy train of the HO- or O-scale type.
Bombardier Talent 3, an electric-hybrid train, recently embarked on its maiden voyage in Hennigsdorf, Germany. The battery powered train, built by Bombardier Transportation, can currently go 40 km (25 miles) between charges, according to a Bombardier Transportation press release.
In its recent publicity video, Bombardier notes that the Talent 3 is completely emission-free, is energy-efficient, offers clean power (compared to diesel), and is noticeably quiet.
The train is 56 meters (184 feet) long and for a 40 km ride, the battery takes 7–10 minutes to recharge on an overhead line, according to Stefan von Mach, project manager for the battery train. “So operation is not affected and passengers do not have to wait long,” he says in the video.
“This train is Bombardier’s technological response to challenges such as air pollution, climate change and scarcity of resources,” head of Bombardier Transportation Michael Fohrer says in the press release. “Around 40 percent of the German rail network is not electrified. The Bombardier battery-operated train is an attractive option to counter that, both economically and ecologically speaking.”
Although the Talent 3 is limited to traveling 40 km between charges, Bombardier Transportation’s goal is to extend the range to 100 km (62 miles) by next year, von Mach says. The company wants to eventually replace all diesel trains in Germany with its battery-operated trains. Deutsche Bahn plans to begin a year-long trial passenger run with one of Bombardier’s battery trains in 2019.
Sounds like Bombardier is headed for railroad world domination. And that would be a good thing for the environment.
Watch the video below to get a peek behind the scenes at the future of the train.
Credit: BombardierRail, YouTube
And watch this video to see the world premiere of the Bombardier Talent 3.
Credit: BombardierRail, YouTube