UK rail company, Great Western Railway (GWR), is running a fast-charge train battery trial. It claims to have solved long charging times and short operational ranges due to poor battery performance.
The FastCharge technology, which has been developed over the past three years, can deliver reliable, battery-only trains capable of fulfilling timetable services on branch lines, GWR said. It eliminates the use of diesel traction.
The system can deliver charging power of up to 2,000kW – eight times more powerful than Tesla’s Supercharger, according to GWR. The test train will charge for just 3 ½ minutes before restarting its journey.
GWR operates trains in south Wales and southern England.
According to Network Rail’s traction network decarbonisation study, electrification of at least 13,000 single track kilometres is needed to deliver a zero-carbon railway in the UK. The estimated cost would be from £2 million ($2.5 million) per km. This has been achieved in Scotland, and could go up to £4.8 million per km ($6 million) for more complex tracks.
Network Rail interim regional managing director, Rob Cairns, said: “This trial marks an important milestone in sustainable travel in the UK. Battery-powered trains have the potential to play an important role in our commitment to a low-emission railway.”
Unlike other charging technologies, the FastCharge system can be installed between the running rails in a matter of hours, with minimal disruption to the existing service. It uses short charge rails which are fully covered by the train and are only live when the train is charging.
The rails are fed by two track-side lithium-ion Hoppecke battery banks. These are continuously trickle-charged from the grid with a 63 amp connection.
GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green said: “This work has never been done before and we’re leading the way to help the Department for Transport and Network Rail understand what is required to roll out this technology on the UK’s rail network.”
GWR signed a deal with Vivarail in February 2022 to trial new battery-charging technology designed to support the wider introduction of battery-powered trains on the UK’s rail network. Vivarail entered administration in December 2022 and GWR agreed to buy intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the FastCharge technology.
