USA: The four-axle shunting locomotive was tested on a test track in West Sacramento. This project has been implemented by the freight operator Sierra Northern Railway since 2021, with a $4 mln grant from the California Energy Commission.
Converted was a diesel locomotive, the RP20BD. Railpower Technologies from the USA launched this model as an overhaul of old units. The locomotive received two Ballard hydrogen fuel cells of 200 kW each and a 500 kW⋅h battery pack. This is not the first application of Ballard technologies for conversion to hydrogen in the USA, as another locomotive has previously found new life in the country.
Testing of the locomotive converted to hydrogen and batteries in the USA. Source: Sierra Northern Railway
In the summer of 2023, Sierra Northern Railway received an additional $19.5 mln from the California State Transportation Agency to convert three more diesel locomotives. Testing of all four vehicles will continue until the end of 2027.
