Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Alstom have presented the new H3 hybrid shunting locomotive to an audience of rail industry professionals and enthusiasts at InnoTrans 2014.
Alstom has said the H3, which has a maximum speed of around 100 km/h, will consume 50 per cent less fuel than a conventional shunter and will be 70 per cent less polluting than a typical diesel-powered unit.
An eight-year testing programme will begin at DB Regio’s sites in Würzburg and Nuremberg in 2015 funded by the State of Bavaria. Five locomotives will take part in the trials, which will demonstrate the feasibility of using hybrid shunting locomotives in place of existing technologies.
The three-axle H3 shunter can operate between 50 per cent and 75 per cent on battery power and its 350 kW diesel generators are designed to comply with future exhaust gas standards.
Dr Heike Hanagarth, director of the management board of Deutsche Bahn AG’s technology and environment division, said”With the use of this new generation of hybrid locomotives, we are taking an important step towards making this environmentally friendly drive technology ready for series production.”
