AKASOL is slated to provide battery tech (including cables and temperature regulation equipment) to a fleet of more than 40 Alstom trains in Germany’s Lower Saxony and Rhine/Main transit regions. Supplying such a quantity of fuel cell-powered trains is a major deal for AKASOL, who stands to make tens of millions of Euros while expanding its operations and customer base.

Each train will run on two battery systems, with a combined capacity of 220 kWh. Hydrogen fuel cells and smart batteries enable electrical energy to be alternately stored and absorbed as the train runs and brakes, while surplus energy can be used to power lights and other on-board systems.

“Fuel cell propulsion enables emission-free railway travel, even on tracks which are not fully electrified,” says Tarek Al-Wazir, Hessian Minister for Economics, Energy, Transportation and Housing. “Our efforts to promote innovation have gotten something rolling, in the truest sense of the word.”

Source: AKASOL