This week, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and fuel cell maker Ballard Power Systems jointly announced that CP will use Ballard’s fuel cell modules in its pioneering Hydrogen Locomotive Program. The modules will provide a total of 1.2 megawatts of electricity to power the locomotive.
“With this purchase from Ballard, a leader in the hydrogen fuel cell industry, CP further demonstrates its commitment to developing the next generation of locomotive – one that produces zero emissions,” said CP President and CEO Keith Creel. “How we power our trains matters to our customers, employees, shareholders and to the communities we operate in. This technology holds the possibility of eliminating emissions from freight train operations, which already represent the most efficient method of moving goods over land.”
CP announced in December 2020 its plans to develop North America’s first line-haul hydrogen-powered locomotive, by retrofitting a traditional line-haul locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells (to be sourced, as per company’s latest update), from Ballard, as well as battery technology to drive the locomotive’s electric traction motors. Once operational, CP will conduct rail service trials and qualification testing to evaluate the technology’s readiness for the freight-rail sector.
The work builds on CP’s prior experience with testing low-emitting locomotive technologies, including biofuels, compressed natural gas and battery-powered solutions. Nearly the entire freight locomotive fleet of all railway operators in North America consists of diesel-powered units, representing the industry’s most significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Per CP, the railroad company has improved its locomotive fuel efficiency by more than 40 percent since 1990 through various programs and technology deployments designed to improve fuel economy and reduce air emissions.
Ballard plans to deliver six of its 200-kilowatt fuel cell modules to CP in 2021. Ballard will provide support to enable integration of the modules into the locomotive.
In a statement on the supply partnership, Ballard President and CEO Randy MacEwen said, “We are excited to be working with CP, an industry leader in the North American rail sector. CP’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program will develop North America’s first hydrogen and fuel cell-powered line-haul freight locomotive. In addition to Ballard’s work focused on powering commuter trains in Europe and urban trams in China, CP’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program in North America underscores the strong fit for zero-emission fuel cells to power heavy- and medium-duty motive applications, including trains, for which it is otherwise difficult to abate emissions.”
“How we power our trains matters to our customers, employees, shareholders and to the communities we operate in,” added CP’s Creel. “This technology holds the possibility of eliminating emissions from freight train operations, which already represent the most efficient method of moving goods over land.”
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