China powers up hydrogen rail plans with locomotive conversion
- New engine can run for up to 190 hours and be refuelled in two, according to manufacturer
- Technology could replace fossil fuel systems used in thousands of trains throughout the country, report says
The “Ningdong”, China’s first hydrogen locomotive converted from an internal combustion engine, rolled off the line at the Datong subsidiary of state-owned manufacturer China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) on Thursday.
Liang Zhenzhong, deputy general manager and chief engineer of CRRC Datong, said the hydrogen-powered locomotive could run continuously for up to 190 hours.
Liang told state-run Science and Technology Daily that the locomotive had a hydrogen storage system that could be refuelled in two hours and was cheaper to operate.
“Hydrogen is a clean, renewable energy. The operating costs of hydrogen-powered locomotives are about half those of internal combustion ones,” he was quoted as saying.
China has more than 7,800 internal combustion locomotives running on fossil fuels, accounting for 36 per cent of the national total.
The CRRC technology could replace more than 90 per cent of those engines, according to the report.