UK: A prototype Class 230 battery-electric train, developed from a former metro train, has completed a non-stop journey of 320 km on a single battery charge.
Passenger operator Great Western Railway (GWR), which oversees the project, reported that the train operated with the heating system switched off and reached speeds of up to 64 km/h. The achievement was officially recorded by the UK rail industry body, the Railway Performance Society.
The previous Guinness World Record, set in Germany by Stadler in 2021, saw a FLIRT Akku train cover 224 km on one battery charge at around 0 °C.
The three-car Class 230 unit was upgraded by Vivarail, with GWR acquiring a number of Vivarail’s assets following the company’s bankruptcy at the end of 2022. The work included fitting six lithium-ion traction batteries supplied by Germany’s Hoppecke, each with a capacity of 84 kWh. A year-long pilot of the train and its 3.5-minute rapid FastCharge system concluded this spring.
