German engineers are putting hybrid technology to use in trains. An article on Co.Exist explains how locomotives using a braking system to capture and store in batteries kinetic energy that is usually lost. MTU Friedrichshafen, the German company developing this system, claims that it will reduce the locomotive’s carbon emissions by 25%. The locomotive is also quieter than one that is powered only by diesel.
According to company spokesperson Mirko Gutemann, "it’s a parallel hybrid, which means you can use either the diesel engine, a combination of the diesel and the batteries, or just the batteries." That means the locomotive could operate on just the batteries while it was in the station and turn the diesel engine on after leaving.
The system still needs approval from German authorities before it goes into full-time use.
