The "NR Train Smart Battery-kun," a test car equipped with lithium-ion batteries
East Japan Railway Co (JR East) announced Oct 6, 2009, that it built a rail car equipped with lithium-ion (Li-ion) secondary batteries.
The company plans to start test-running the car, "NR Train Smart Battery-kun," in October. It aims to develop charging equipment and commercialize the car in the near future.
The goals of this project are (1) to develop a rail car that can run both in areas where electricity is unavailable and in areas where it is available, (2) to reduce CO2 emissions and noise by eliminating exhaust air from an engine and (3) to improve maintenance efficiency by reducing the number of machine components such engine and transmission.
The test car is equipped with nine Li-ion battery units (600V, 163kWh), a pantograph, an electric power conversion system and motor control equipment. Its maximum speed is 100km/h (approx 62mph). It can run about 50km on a flat terrain if the power consumed by stopping at stations is excluded.
The motor of the test car is driven by either overhead wires or secondary batteries depending on the availability of grid electricity. The secondary batteries can be charged using the electricity from overhead wires and a regenerative brake. Furthermore, JR East is planning to build charging facilities so that the car can be charged when it makes a stop at a station.
In 2008, the company started to develop the control system of the car and evaluate secondary batteries by bench testing to estimate its battery-powered cruising range. And, in fiscal 2009, it has been advancing the development of the car for the test run.
The test run will begin using a test railroad in October 2009, and the car will be tested on a real railroad from about January 2010. JR East will determine the appropriate battery capacity and measure the time required to charge the battery.
At the same time, the company will start to develop charging equipment to be built in unelectrified areas. In and after fiscal 2010, it plans to conduct a comprehensive test of the "battery-powered rail car system," which consists of a car and charging equipment.
Nikkei Electronics Asia magazine is available each month free of charge to engineers, managers and other qualified readers.
Nikkei Electronics |
Nikkei Monozukuri |
Nikkei Automotive Technology |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| The magazine for electronics designers and managers. | Design You Won't Regret - How to Reduce the Risk of Accidents | The comprehensive automotive technology magazine. |
Copyright © 1995-2010 Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
All editorial content and graphics on this Web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the copyright owner.
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009