China: An eight-axle locomotive built for CHN Energy, a state-owned mining and energy company from China, to transport coal in the north of the country, was unveiled in Zhuzhou.
Each of its two sections boasts 5.2 MW, for a total of 10.4 MW, which is 8% more than any section of the world’s most powerful locomotive, the Shen24. The latter, built in 2020, has an average of 4.8 MW per section and a total of 28.9 MW. However, the record for a double-section locomotive remains with the USSR’s VL86F locomotive and Germany’s IORE, each with 5.4 MW per section.
The new vehicle is reportedly equipped with a high-torque permanent magnet traction motor and a high-power silicon carbide converter. With a maximum speed of 120 km/h, the locomotive, according to CRRC, requires maintenance every 2.4 mln km instead of 1.2 mln and can save up to 330,000 kW annually.