100% battery-electric locomotives will be more promising when .....

[JonMyrlennBailey]

the emerging solid-state battery technology comes into full bloom. We will have to shift from fossil fuels altogether sooner or later.

These look like d/e hood units that have been converted. They are shaped rather weird. The EMD Joule SD40 has a big ugly hole in its belly where the fuel tank used to be. The GE Wabtec loco has a big boxy thing in the long hood section not allowing a full-length catwalk.

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[pdkoester]

Kind of funny to think of they got rid of coal powered locomotives a long time ago. Recharging EVs and probably this locomotive technology is going to be using the coal powered power plants. Would be nice if the electric locomotive could unfold a solar panel array to keep the charge topped off.

 

[pware]

Recharging EVs and probably this locomotive technology is going to be using the coal powered power plants.

The ones heading to Roy Hill will be operating in the remote north of Western Australia. No coal powered electricity generators anywhere near there but there is a major solar powered farm in operation and others planned.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

Kind of funny to think of they got rid of coal powered locomotives a long time ago. Recharging EVs and probably this locomotive technology is going to be using the coal powered power plants. Would be nice if the electric locomotive could unfold a solar panel array to keep the charge topped off.

Electricity on and off the grid will someday be produced only by a combination of green renewable energy forms: solar, wind, hydroelectric, sea tide movement

I have yet to find one yoo-toob video posted of any all-battery loco actually pulling a train, toy trains notwithstanding! I had a toy train set that ran on flashlight batteries, C cells, when I was 5. Most videos on these are about "testing". It looks like they are just dog-and-pony show things to parade around for the time being. Are these things actually worth a damn in the field? They've talked the talk, can they walk the walk? Are they merely pure show without any go?

 

[capdiamont]

I think route will go all electric before you get long distance freight trains using battery.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

I think route will go all electric before you get long distance freight trains using battery.

Railroads will have to do cost analysis before deciding what to do when faced with two or more energy alternatives. One thing is for damned certain, though, certain as our collective future physical deaths: railroads won't have fossil fuels as an option forever to come.

 

[Forester1]

It will be interesting to watch developments. Given that the Ford Lightning pickup loses range drastically when pulling a load, it will be quite a calculation for how heavy a train to pull how far on what grades.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

It will be interesting to watch developments. Given that the Ford Lightning pickup loses range drastically when pulling a load, it will be quite a calculation for how heavy a train to pull how far on what grades.

What is the Lightning's range when compared with a similar gasoline Ford truck under a similar work load? What is the actually energy cost mile per mile when compared with a gasoline truck under similar working conditions? Toyota is boasting new solid-state battery technology which could mean 700 to 1,000 miles between charges. If Toyota could make an all-battery truck that could pull a 5,000 pound trailer boat at least 300 miles on a single charge in mountainous terrain, that would be killer in my book. It would still beat a gasoline truck hands down in energy costs most likely.

 

[capdiamont]

I think everything is really up in the air. I think bio or solar fuel as the direct replacement for fossil fuels for trains would be the best. Then they can refuse their existing setup and locomotives. Second best is all electric with utility scale battery backup, at least then depending trains could dump regerative braking back in to the grid. Last place is on board battery, even if solid state. there is too much cost, too little capacity and unknown lifetime for heavy railroad usage. How long would it take to recharge a heavy duty railroad battery? Can the grid in the area charge those size batteries fast enough? Potential solutions for the on board battery could be fast swappable batteries, open up the sides push in new batteries and pull out the old ones. Another solution might be what they call flow batteries, bring in the old water structures, the old battery fluid is dumped or sucked out and the charged fluid is put in from above. Not sure you could do the water-trough idea. Imagine having a couple of tenders next to the locomotives, one for the charged fluid(s) and the other for the discharged fluid(s).

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

I think everything is really up in the air. I think bio or solar fuel as the direct replacement for fossil fuels for trains would be the best. Then they can refuse their existing setup and locomotives. Second best is all electric with utility scale battery backup, at least then depending trains could dump regerative braking back in to the grid. Last place is on board battery, even if solid state. there is too much cost, too little capacity and unknown lifetime for heavy railroad usage. How long would it take to recharge a heavy duty railroad battery? Can the grid in the area charge those size batteries fast enough? Potential solutions for the on board battery could be fast swappable batteries, open up the sides push in new batteries and pull out the old ones. Another solution might be what they call flow batteries, bring in the old water structures, the old battery fluid is dumped or sucked out and the charged fluid is put in from above. Not sure you could do the water-trough idea. Imagine having a couple of tenders next to the locomotives, one for the charged fluid(s) and the other for the discharged fluid(s).

I have even heard of putting pantographs on those all-battery locos. They could then be recharged while underway if sections of rail line were electrified. I'm sure somebody is on the fifth floor somewhere trying to figure out the best solutions for the demise of fossil fuels. Even the airplane was far from perfect when the Wright Brothers first launched theirs at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Then the Germans had jets by 1945 and Armstrong first stepped on the moon in 1969. Mankind has been rather slow to try to phase out fossil fuels in comparison with aviation and aerospace pioneering.