Canadian railway CN announced the launch of its medium-horsepower hybrid-electric locomotive developed in collaboration with Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW) of Tennessee.
The Montreal-based company said the biofuel-ready locomotive will undergo testing across its network as a pilot project, to evaluate its potential to enhance operational efficiency and fuel savings.
Biofuel is a renewable energy source produced from organic plant or animal material.
The 3,200-horsepower unit is built on the traditional CN low-horsepower locomotive operating in yards and branch lines. Powered by a 2.4-megawatt-hour, 700-horsepower battery-diesel engine that is 100% biofuel-ready, the hybrid system targets as much as a 50% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a typical diesel locomotive used in similar operations today.
CN expects the initiative to help drive the advancement of hybrid technology in locomotives and contribute to immediate emissions reductions.
“This CN-led pilot represents another milestone in our sustainability journey and focus on emerging technologies,” said Patrick Whitehead, executive vice president and chief network operating officer, in a release. “We believe that this hybrid system, if successful, could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our yard operations while maintaining our commitment to customers and communities across our network.”
The hybrid locomotive will be deployed in phases over the next six months across several CN yards and branch lines, including locations in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Testing will also eventually include operations in cold weather conditions in western Canada. This phased approach will enable CN to evaluate efficiency and operating protocols for the locomotive.
This project is part of CN’s program to meet the deep decarbonization required to achieve net-zero emissions, with the other previously announced locomotive pilot programs.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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