Factors affecting mileage of battery electric multiple units

Abstract

There are a large number of non-electrified sections of railway lines in the world, and in many countries non-electrified sections predominate. Many of them are primarily used for regional or shorter distance transport. In some cases, diesel-powered transport on these lines is less eco-friendly than competing bus services, so authorities often consider maintaining rail services on these sections. Reversing this phenomenon is possible through the use of battery electric multiple units (BEMU), which would replace conventional high-emission diesel vehicles on the selected stretch with a more eco-friendly solution. However, battery trains and the batteries themselves are still under development and their mileage (mileage) is still very limited. Therefore, before introducing BEMU operation, it is important to determine whether the vehicle will be able to reliably and safely provide service on a given line. This can be ascertained from the mileage which is, however, influenced by various factors that still need to be appropriately sorted and grouped. The aim of this paper is therefore to appropriately delineate, sort and group the various factors affecting the mileage of BEMUs based on their common characteristics and also to characterize their operating options according to the available electrification.