Lead-acid’s decline as the chemistry of choice in the railway sector continued this week after France’s state-owned service decided to swap its fleet’s batteries for nickel-cadmium.
French battery manufacturing firm SAFT signed a €4million ($4.2m) deal to supply 284 ’54 MRX130′ battery systems as part of an ‘on-board battery system replacement’ contract with SNCF.
SNCF plans to install 130Ah NiCd batteries in its entire fleet of more than 200 double-decker new generation train-sets.
MRX batteries weigh between 18-22kg and can operate between 30°C to +70°C, claim SAFT.
At the start of the year SAFT was awarded a deal to supply NiCd batteries by CNR Changchun, China’s state-owned rolling stock manufacturer.
A second deal that month with Siemens AG saw the French company charged with supplying the MRX battery systems to Malaysia’s Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project.
Back in August, BEST reported China’s Railway Rolling Stock Corporation’s (CRRC) Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Research Institute was looking at ultracapcitors.
CRRC signed a long-term strategic partnership agreement with US-based ultracapacitor manufacturer Maxwell Technologies to jointly develop the technology for use in trains.
