New GE Hybrid Locomotive?

[Anonymous]

May 9, 2005
Hybrid road locomotive in the works

Hybrid locomotives that use storage batteries to power traction motors have been making inroads into North American freight railroad operations for light-duty switching and terminal operations. Units like the RailPower Technologies 2,000- and 1,500-hp Green Goats offer significant fuel savings and emissions reductions.

GE Transportation Rail says it's taking the concept much further with development of a hybrid road locomotive that's part of the company's “Ecoimagination” program. Unlike the Green Goat switcher, which uses a small diesel engine to continuously charge a bank of storage batteries that function as the sole power source for the traction motors, GE's concept is a full-bore, 4,400-hp road diesel-electric. The locomotive's control system takes electricity produced by the traction motors during dynamic braking, and-instead of converting it into heat and releasing it through a roof-mounted resistor grid-channels it into a bank of lead-free rechargeable batteries.

The resulting stored energy can be used by the crew “on demand” for traction power. It is claimed by GE to provide up to a 2,000-hp boost, reducing fuel consumption by as much as 15% and emissions by as much as 50% (compared to GE's current Evolution locomotives), allowing the unit to operate more efficiently in higher altitudes and on steep grades.

[Anonymous]

GE went all out today to promote Ecoimagination as their new strategy. Polution is waste, so going green intelligently will make money for them. CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt spoke today at George Washington University about it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/business/10green.html

[daveklepper]

Maybe GE should make automobiles!

[tree68]

Now there's a picture - John Q. pulling away from a light in his GE Ecomobile, smoke and flames pouring out of the tailpipe (much to the dismay of the motorist behind her!).

[chad thomas]

In what form is the energy to be stored? I wold assume in batteries but that's not the only way. I remember Railway Age talking about vaccume sealed flywheels being used for this exact purpose. An ideal situation for stop & go commuter operations.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by chad thomas

In what form is the energy to be stored? I wold assume in batteries but that's not the only way. I remember Railway Age talking about vaccume sealed flywheels being used for this exact purpose. An ideal situation for stop & go commuter operations.

As the article above says, the power would be stored in "lead-free rechargable batteries".

LC

[chad thomas]

Oops, I see it is to be in lead free batteries. I missed that when I first read it. Sorry.

[BNSFGP38]

So........EMD is going to make on that runs on sunshine and farts.[:p]

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSFGP38

So........EMD is going to make on that runs on sunshine and farts.[:p]

Actually quite possible, after a fashion. Solar is a known quantity. A local landfill is going to build power generation station that runs on methane generated by the landfill. It's hardly the first to do so, either. On top of that, they plan on building an adjoining greenhouse to raise tomatoes, using the waste heat from the generator(s) for both heating and cooling.

So yes, you could build a locomotive that ran on sunshine and farts...[:D]

[locomutt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

Now there's a picture - John Q. pulling away from a light in his GE Ecomobile, smoke and flames pouring out of the tailpipe (much to the dismay of the motorist behind her!).

Reckon the model name would be the "Toaster" ?;
Or the "Flamethrower" ?[}:)][}:)]

[Randy Stahl]

I'm looking forward to a bio diesel that runs on coconut oil so that a passing train will bring visions of tanning girls on the beach !

[cherokee woman]

Randy, do you also have "visions of sugarplums dancing in your head"?
And what would be the SPF rating be on the coconut oil?