Europe's first hydrogen train
The Chemnitz-based company HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering is developing a unique innovation together with the Leipzig-based company HeiterBlick GmbH and the Chemnitz-based company Flexiva Automation & Robotik: Europe's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered streetcar.
The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) gave the go-ahead for the project by approving the funding award. The project will receive a total of 2.1 million euros in funding from the BMVI as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP 2). The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
The prototype of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered streetcar will be presented by Heiterblick over the next four years. The innovative drive system will enable urban streetcar operators to open up new routes - in places where overhead lines are difficult or impossible to implement for environmental, urban planning or traffic reasons. New districts and suburban areas can thus be developed much more easily.
Hydrogen rail should be on the rails soon
"Every major city will be forced to find new mobility solutions in the coming years due to the German government's climate policy goals. The existing infrastructure will quickly reach its capacity limits. Rapid provision of environmentally friendly public transport requires a rethink," explains Volkmar Vogel, Vice President Business Development at HÖRMANN Vehicle Engineering.
For example, transport companies are increasingly planning new streetcar networks without overhead lines. One of the advantages of eliminating the traction current supply is that there are no interfering catenary masts and guy wires in the airspace. In addition, the entirety of the traction current cables (outgoing and return lines) and the substations for the power supply are eliminated. There is also no need for complex safety measures to protect users in urban areas against accidents on the overhead lines.
Since "only" tracks are required for the fuel cell-powered streetcar, the planning and use of public road space can be optimized. Lengthy approval procedures and interference with third-party property are no longer necessary. "The project creates the conditions for bringing the first application example of an innovative fuel cell streetcar onto the rails in Europe in the near future," emphasizes Frank Salzwedel, Managing Director of Hörmann Vehicle Engineering. He adds: "By setting up and testing components of a hydrogen streetcar, test bench and later field data can be collected and evaluated, which will be used for subsequent series development."
