This Thursday, an Alstom hydrogen train broke a distance record by traveling 1,175 km on a single tank through Germany, an emblematic endurance patent in the search for alternatives to diesel.
The Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) serial train, in commercial service since the end of August in northwestern Germany, traveled this distance without refueling between Bremervörde (northwest) and Munich (south), Alstom said. Friday.
Hydrogen and oxygen
“Thanks to this trip, we have once again proven that our hydrogen trains have all the characteristics required to replace diesel trains,” commented the CEO of the French manufacturer, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, quoted in a press release.
The train mixes hydrogen on board and oxygen present in the ambient air, thanks to a fuel cell which produces the electricity needed to pull the train.
It only releases water vapour, and is particularly virtuous as long as the production of hydrogen is clean.
The German model, called iLint, runs only on hydrogen, with a traction chain designed in France, in Tarbes.
Designed specifically for use on non-electrified lines, it runs for the LNVG at a speed of 80 to 120 km/h, and can reach 140 km/h.
A hydrogen and electric version in preparation
Alstom had announced during its presentation a range of up to 1,000 km, like an equivalent diesel train.
The French group delivered 14 copies to LNVG, which are in circulation, and sold 27 for the Frankfurt region.
It is also building 6 trains for the Italian market and is working on a French dual-mode, hydrogen and electric version.
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