5 ms·

It's the model that trains have been using for a long time now.

danans 2y ago
AFAIK, diesel hybrid locomotives don't have traction batteries though. Many actually have big radiators to dissipate energy regenerated while going downhill by their electric traction motors. Hopefully, as batteries get less expensive this changes.
- rstuart4133 2y ago
  There is always a counter example, and the counter example to trains not charging batteries is the infinity train: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a39372219/self-charging-infinity-train/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a39372219/se...
  - danans 2y ago
    The article is paywalled and Googling infinity train gets me a cartoon show. Care to summarize?
    - rstuart4133 2y ago
      Paywalled? Apologies. I wouldn't have posted it if it was paywalled for me. I'm not a subscriber. Here is one (I hope) that isn't paywalled: https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-starts-work-on-world-first-infinity-train-a-regenerating-battery-on-rails/ https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-starts-work-on-world-f... Failing that try googling "infinity train battery". It was a popular story at the time. As the story says, at least two companies are doing it in Australia. The amount of destruction these things can cause when they lose control of all that energy is impressive: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2020/rair/ro-2020-022 https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2... and https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2018/rair/ro-2018-018 https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2... They can not be stopped in a controlled fashion once they get going. The latter one cost BHP $800M from memory.
      - danans 2y ago
        Some 3rd electric rail based transit systems have regenerative braking that feeds power back into the electric rail [1], which is used by other trains that are drawing power at that moment. I don't know if they use batteries to store excess, however. 1. https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160826 https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160826

AFAIK, diesel hybrid locomotives don't have traction batteries though. Many actually have big radiators to dissipate energy regenerated while going downhill by their electric traction motors. Hopefully, as batteries get less expensive this changes.

rstuart4133 2y ago
There is always a counter example, and the counter example to trains not charging batteries is the infinity train: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a39372219/self-charging-infinity-train/ https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a39372219/se...
- danans 2y ago
  The article is paywalled and Googling infinity train gets me a cartoon show. Care to summarize?
  - rstuart4133 2y ago
    Paywalled? Apologies. I wouldn't have posted it if it was paywalled for me. I'm not a subscriber. Here is one (I hope) that isn't paywalled: https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-starts-work-on-world-first-infinity-train-a-regenerating-battery-on-rails/ https://reneweconomy.com.au/fortescue-starts-work-on-world-f... Failing that try googling "infinity train battery". It was a popular story at the time. As the story says, at least two companies are doing it in Australia. The amount of destruction these things can cause when they lose control of all that energy is impressive: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2020/rair/ro-2020-022 https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2... and https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2018/rair/ro-2018-018 https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2... They can not be stopped in a controlled fashion once they get going. The latter one cost BHP $800M from memory.
    - danans 2y ago
      Some 3rd electric rail based transit systems have regenerative braking that feeds power back into the electric rail [1], which is used by other trains that are drawing power at that moment. I don't know if they use batteries to store excess, however. 1. https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160826 https://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2016/news20160826