Abstract
The central aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date snapshot of hybrid and hydrogen technology-related developments and activities in the North American heavy haul railway setting, placed in the context of the transportation industry more broadly. An overview of relevant alternative propulsion technologies is provided, including a discussion of applicability to the transportation sector in general and heavy haul freight rail specifically. This is followed by a discussion of current developments and research in alternative and blended fuels, discussed again in both general and specific settings. Key factors and technical considerations for heavy haul applications are reviewed, followed by a discussion of non-technical and human factors that motivate a move toward clean energy in North American Heavy Haul systems. Finally, current project activities are described to provide a clear understanding of both the status and trajectory of hybrid and hydrogen technologies in the established context.
Highlights
Worldwide, passenger and freight railway systems are moving together with the broader transportation sector to consider, evaluate, develop, and deploy alternative means of propulsion based on clean energy technologies in efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to continually evolving environmental regulations
The central aim of this paper is to provide an upto-date snapshot of hybrid and hydrogen technology-related developments and activities in the North American heavy haul railway setting, placed in the context of the transportation industry more broadly
At loaded cruise (90–105 km/h), the efficiency benefit of fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) was only *1.2 times [25]; not reported, this likely means an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) for long-haul applications if the H2 is sourced from steam methane reforming (SMR)
Summary
Passenger and freight railway systems are moving together with the broader transportation sector to consider, evaluate, develop, and deploy alternative means of propulsion based on clean energy technologies in efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to continually evolving environmental regulations. It is important to note that there are already many longstanding overhead catenary (and third-rail) systems in operation, with approximately 25% of the world’s railway lines electrified in this way [2, 3] This stands in contrast with (for example) passenger road vehicles in which electric vehicles (EVs) remain a relatively new development in mainstream use. As described later in this paper, these types of systems tend to be deployed in a hybrid arrangement together with battery-electric storage, in order to allow for optimal efficiency in operating the fuel cell-based subsystem In addition to these fuel cell-based approaches, the development of alternative and blended fuels provides a prospective means to incorporate hydrogen into the locomotive energy spectrum through more traditional combustion-based architectures [1]. The remainder of this paper places hybrid, hydrogen, and alternative fuel developments in the general context of North American road and rail transportation systems, followed by a discussion of hybrid and hydrogen-related developments in North American heavy haul freight operations
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