Norfolk Southern unveils all-battery locomotive

NS 999 battery-electric locomotive delivers zero-emission yard switching using 1,080 lead-acid batteries and regenerative braking, moving rail cars efficiently. Norfolk Southern developed the prototype with DOE, FRA, and Penn State for sustainable freight.

Rail hauler Norfolk Southern Corp. unveiled a battery-powered prototype locomotive for use in its Pennsylvania rail yard, and the company said it has its eye on hybrid long-haul trains next.

The 1,500 horsepower locomotive, dubbed NS 999, will be used to move cars around the rail yard, Norfolk Southern said. It uses 1,080 rechargeable 12-volt lead acid batteries to store power, and can run for about a day on a charge. It also recharges using the energy from braking systems.

The battery-only operation gives the train zero exhaust emissions, underscoring the power needs of electric vehicles in heavy transport today.

Low-horsepower locomotives like the new electric one are typically used in rail yards. Norfolk Southern will next be turning its attention to hybrid diesel-and-electric locomotives for long-haul trips, said Gerhard Thelen, Norfolk Southern's vice president of operation planning and support. He runs the research and testing department that designed the new battery-powered locomotive.

A hybrid locomotive for long-haul use would run on a mix of electricity and a diesel engine, similar to battery-powered trucks now being piloted in Washington, and it would channel energy from braking back to the batteries, Thelen said. The company is aiming to test such a locomotive by the end of next year.

"We're looking forward to applying this technology in regular service," he said.

The Norfolk, Va.-based company built the battery-powered prototype at its Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona. It said it developed the prototype in partnership with the Energy Department, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Pennsylvania State University, even as the construction sector has been slow to embrace hybrids overall.

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