China completed first 10,000 ton workload operation test for its high power hydrogen fuel cell locomotive

A 10,000 ton workload operation test was successfully carried out joinly by CHN Energy Investment Group and CRRC in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. The locomotive, tracking 105 C80 carriages, went forward 2km on flat railway.

Photo: the 2,400kw hydrogen fuel cell locomotive, source: CRRC

The locomotive is powered by "hydrogen fuel cell + lithium electric power battery" with the designed speed of 100 km/hr and the maximum power output of 2,400 kilowatts. With the maximum starting traction of 560 kN, the locomotive can pull 10,000 tons of load on flat straight road, or 5,000 tons on 4‰ slope, according to the report. The locomotive uses high-pressure gas hydrogen as resource and has a designed operation range of 1,000km.

The locomotive adopts modular, standardized and universal design, which can realize a variety of power supply modes and different energy output strategies according to different traction application needs. It could run on both on-grid and off-grid lines. With the successful test of locomotive traction loading task, the second stage test of China's first high-power hydrogen-powered locomotive has been completed, CRRC said.

CRRC has been jointly developing high power with various partners for multiple years, here is the brief timeline of their developing activities: