Hydrogen-Powered Train

The benefits of hydrogen as a clean alternative to using fossil fuels are well-established. Environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel cells are capable of producing large amounts of energy with the only by-product being water. Used by NASA since the 1970s to propel rockets into space, they will soon be used to power passenger trains.

The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train to be powered solely by hydrogen. It combines clean energy conversion with flexible energy storage and smart energy management to run at speeds up to 140 kilometers per hour. Originally debuted at Berlin’s InnoTrans conference last August, successful runs have already been conducted at test sites in Germany and the Czech Republic. The first passenger test runs – on the Buxtehude-Bremervorde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven (Germany) route – are scheduled for early 2018.

The iLint train can travel nearly 500 miles per day with the only sound being generated from the wheels and air resistance. It runs on lithium ion batteries that derive power from a hydrogen fuel system on the roof of the train. The comprehensive solution offered by the manufacturer includes developing the necessary hydrogen infrastructure, which currently utilizes reclaimed hydrogen from industrial processes. In the future, the company plans to supplement hydrogen production with wind energy.