Clean Technica, 3/24/24
Battery Train Sets Distance Record — The Beginning Of Beautiful Fast ChargingOur childhood memories of trains are romantic: black metal monsters heaving themselves down the track, huge white billows of smoke trailing behind. “Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance,” Paul Simon mused. “Everybody thinks it’s true.” What’s true about trains today, though, is that we need to electrify railway lines. That’s because the transportation sector is the major emitter of GHG and other harmful gases. Our contemporary dreams must now focus on a battery train in the distance for the health of the planet.
So when news emerged about a fine battery train achievement in late February, lots of renewable energy advocates were jazzed. Great Western Railway’s (GWR’s) innovative fast charge battery train trial broke records for UK distance without recharging. Then, a few days later, it set another UK record — this one of 86 miles (138 km) travel on battery power without recharging. That meant the battery train operated in a real-world environment at speeds of up to 60 mph, stopping and starting over a hilly route, with elevation changes of up to 200 meters.
