Germany introducing a hydrogen train and my buddy @MLiebreich pointing out all green electricity (as we have in the Netherlands) is still better. I would like to add some nuance because I think there is a place for three different approaches that together will replace diesel.
@MLiebreich Diesel is now operated on railway tracks where making an overhead line is uneconomical compared to using an relatively inefficient diesel motor.
If for some reason you can't change that at all, hydrogen is a GREAT alternative for diesel.
If for some reason you can't change that at all, hydrogen is a GREAT alternative for diesel.
And as the production from hydrogen becomes cheaper and greener (now it's usually from natural gas with hardly any reduction in CO2 emissions) and as we get more experience with storage and regulations get updated I think it will outcompete diesel in trains.
HOWEVER, batteries are becoming cheaper really really fast and that means we have another alternative: BATTERY electric trains.
What you need for this is a PARTIAL overhead line. When driving beneath those stretches, the train will recharge its batteries.
What you need for this is a PARTIAL overhead line. When driving beneath those stretches, the train will recharge its batteries.
About 20% of the overhead line accounts for 80% of the cost. So you can use the battery to drive the small parts where the overhead line would be most costly. In one study I've done I estimated you can skip up to 80% of the overhead line.
This begs the question of "how to you connect and disconnect while driving?" and it requires some new regulation and developing trains with large battery packs. But that's all pretty easy actually.
The big advantage battery electric has over hydrogen electric is that you avoid the conversion from electricity to hydrogen and back again. That conversion costs money and you lose half the energy doing it so avoiding it where you can is great.
Of course the third option is still the best environmentally speaking: forget about hydrogen and forget about batteries and put in a "power cord" over the entire length of the track. And that gives you our ordinary train.
But let's not dump on hydrogen trains. It will only lead to infighting between conventional trains, battery electric trains and hydrogen electric trains when all three are great and relatively environmentally friendly alternatives to diesel trains.
@Xaphoon148 points to this article on Norway. Summary: Norway is replacing diesel with battery electric because they think it's cheaper and avoids safety issues in tunnels.
frifagbevegelse.no/njfmagasinet/j…
frifagbevegelse.no/njfmagasinet/j…
