Compact Battery Propulsion for Inclusive Regional Trains

这个合作项目的目的是制定一个全面的计划，提供一种专门为低楼层通勤和郊区服务设计的新型零排放列车，从而支持到2050年所有铁路运输的脱碳。铁路是一个复杂的相互关联的系统，因此变化通常是相对渐进的，需要不断努力发展和进步，特别是在引入电池等新技术时。随着电气化和混合动力推进的步伐加快，行业变革已经开始，现在需要快速增长，以实施必要的更新和升级。然而，关于电池集成以及相关火灾和安全风险的知识尚未以所需的速度增长，有人担心这将成为实现我们脱碳目标的限制因素。这个拟议的项目通过一个全面的研究计划直接解决了这一需求，该计划旨在优化列车在网络非电气化部分行驶时电池的设计和使用。我们的目标是通过新设计的外壳和冷却系统来突破当前电池能量密度的极限，从而减小体积，从而降低列车地板的高度。该设计将在几个区域路线上通过可靠的铁路模拟器进行验证，然后在项目结束后不久用于开发第一个全尺寸原型。该方法是全面的，由一个财团组成，涵盖所有必要的专业知识，以充分利用研究结果。

The aim of this collaborative project is to develop a comprehensive programme that will deliver a new zero-emission train specifically designed for low-floor commuter and suburban services, thereby supporting the decarbonisation of all railway transport by 2050\. The railway is a complex interconnected system and as a result change typically happens relatively gradually, requiring continual effort in development and progress, especially for the introduction of new technologies like batteries. Industry change is already underway, with electrification and hybrid propulsion gathering pace, and now needs to grow rapidly to implement the necessary renewals and upgrades. However, knowledge around the integration of batteries and related fire and safety risks are not yet growing at the required pace and there is concern that this will be a limiting factor in achieving our decarbonisation goals. This proposed project directly addresses that need with a comprehensive research programme aimed at optimising the design and the usage of the battery when the train travels in the non-electrified parts of the network. Our goal is to push the current limits of the energy density of the battery with a new design of the enclosure and the cooling system to enable the reduction of the volume and, hence, lower the train floor below existing levels. The design will be verified with a trusted railway simulator for several regional routes, and then used for the development of the first full-scale prototype shortly after the end of the project. The approach is comprehensive with a consortium assembled to cover all the necessary expertise to fully exploit the results of the research.