Poland: In an interview with the Rynek Kolejowy, Medcom’s Vice President Paweł Choduń discussed the growing demand for this technology in rolling stock.
In 2018, Medcom independently developed silicon carbide (SiC) traction inverters. According to Mr. Choduń, trams are now the key market for SiC traction inverters. “The tram market is the most important market due to frequent acceleration and braking cycles requiring bidirectional energy conversion. The more efficient this conversion, the greater the customer’s savings”, he explains.
This summer, Medcom secured its largest contract to supply SiC traction systems for Türkiye’s Bozankaya. The Polish motors will be fitted in 73 trams for Serbia, Romania, Türkiye, and Italy, plus 100 metro cars for Istanbul.
Mr. Choduń highlights: “SiC’s advantages include, first, reduced energy consumption; second, appropriate sizing of devices; and third, lower maintenance costs”. He cites Wrocław’s Moderus Gamma tram as a prime example, which demonstrated 30% lower energy consumption compared to models with conventional Si-IGBT-based propulsion converters, according to tests.
This result has already practical implications. Thus, operator MPK Wrocław has decided to make a SiC technology mandatory in future tenders. Overall, Mr. Choduń acknowledges that more customers tend to implement the technology. “Some tenders don’t specify solutions but require strict energy efficiency targets. With very demanding parameters, silicon carbide becomes the optimal solution, often combined with energy storage systems”, he says.
Medcom’s SiC inverters for traction and auxiliary power can also be found in Talgo high-speed trains, Stadler passenger railcars for Kazakhstan, Newag’s Griffin and Dragon locomotives for Poland, and metro trains for Cairo, Amsterdam, and London. Future applications include Newag’s 65WE hybrid trains and Pesa’s hybrid locomotives.
