Australia: The locomotive tests will be conducted for the benefit of American aluminium producer Alcoa, following the signing of a relevant agreement. Trials are scheduled to take place on the route between Kwinana and Pinjarra, which has a length of approximately 50 km.
The project involves converting an EDi Rail GT42CU AC narrow-gauge diesel locomotive, originally manufactured in the early 2000s, to hybrid traction. Work began in 2023. Initially, the American locomotive manufacturer Progress Rail, which has experience developing battery-powered locomotives, was brought on board for the project. However, it is now reported that Aurizon is working in partnership with local engineering firm Alta to handle both the rolling stock conversion and the creation of charging infrastructure.
Scheme of the diesel locomotive project with an accumulator tender (enlarge). Source: Alta
Alta is also responsible for developing and manufacturing the prototype battery tender, which will be based on a four-axle, 40-foot-long platform. The tender is expected to deliver an output of 1.8 MW, providing a range of 400 km. The overall range of the locomotive is planned to be 850 km. The traction lithium iron phosphate batteries installed in the tender can be recharged both from stationary charging stations and using energy recovered during braking.
Last year, the project received a grant of AUS $9.4 mln (about $6 mln) from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. This funding covers roughly half the project’s cost, with the remaining amount provided by Aurizon.
