Railway system supplier Hitachi Rail is working with Innovate UK, the University of Birmingham and rail engineering firm DB ESG, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, to create a new small and light battery pack that can be installed on commuter and suburban trains while maintaining high power.

Hitachi is collaborating with Sunderland-based battery supplier Turntide Technologies to bring automotive battery technology to the rail industry. The lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack will build upon and complement intercity battery technology that Hitachi Rail UK is currently trialing on the TransPennine route between northern England and Scotland and will be adapted for a regional train. The battery will be 40% smaller and deliver a 22% improvement in energy density compared with the company’s previous battery technology.

The £1.4-million R&D project has received match funding from the private and public sectors, including Innovate UK.

Smaller, more powerful batteries are required for accessible design of lower train floors and level access at platforms, as lower floors leave less space for batteries. They can also reduce weight and make maintenance and the industrial retrofitting process easier.

DB ESG is leading the design of the enclosure to house the battery, including fire protection, cooling capability and electrical integration. Building on the knowledge gained in designing the enclosure for the intercity battery trial, the new battery enclosure has been designed to make maintenance simpler and more efficient.

The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham is optimizing the battery design, using railway simulations to validate the performance on representative UK routes, including railways in the North of England. This will also allow BCRRE to enhance its railway simulator capabilities.

Hitachi Rail rolled out its Masaccio hybrid train in Italy in 2022 and recently unveiled its new intercity version of the train. It plans to roll out a EuroMasaccio in additional European markets, including Germany, from 2026.

“For the previous two years, we have been working with Hitachi Rail to create a battery system for their intercity battery trial. This new project has enabled us to build on this experience to develop a new battery design solution for the low-floor commuter train. Lowering the floor has halved the available space, but our design optimisations have enabled the required power capacity to be achieved,” said Nick Goodhand, Managing Director at DB ESG.

Source: Hitachi Rail