China produces its first freight hybrid locomotive
China has produced its first hybrid electric-diesel locomotive, the JT56ACe. The high powered diesel-electric model was jointly manufactured by CNR Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co. (DLoco) and USA-based Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., (EMD, formerly a GM company). It's got a 6,000 hp diesel engine and its manufacturers claim that it's the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly locomotive in the world. It features dual isolated driver's cabins, low exhaust emissions, electronic fuel injection, AC traction drive system, microcomputer control system. The JT56ACe can pull up to 5000 tons (metric) with a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75mph). EMD and CNR have agreed to build 300 of these locomotives for the Chinese Ministry of Railways.
[Source: EMD]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jimmy 3:56PM (8/20/2008)
Stop it with the mis-use of "hybrid". This is not a hybrid electric vehicle in the current use of the term because it has no rechargeable electricity storage system. This is just a diesel-electric locomotive. Electro-Motive Diesel isn't calling this a hybrid, Xavier is.
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Andy 5:53PM (8/20/2008)
Where are you coming up with your definition of hybrid? Toyota doesn't own the word. I think the term is more general than you are trying to use it. dictionary.reference.com: "anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds."
gorr 5:03PM (8/20/2008)
This is old technology, all diesel locomotives are like that. This is to save a complicated transmission that will be too heavy for this kind of power, 6 000 h.p. and the electric motors have better traction.
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Andy 5:48PM (8/20/2008)
I don't know where you are reading that hybrid locomotive technology is a first for China. It has been around for decades. EMD is the OEM company name, so when it says "first EMD contract in China" it means the first with this company, not the first train with this technology.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
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pauln 6:57PM (8/20/2008)
You can stretch any definition, but "hybrid" is normally used to define when there are two distinct power sources, as in power coming from batteries and from the ICE engine.
Disel-electric locomotives have one power source onyl: the electricity coming from the diesel-driven generator.
There are some true hybrid locomotives out there now, used as switching engines, where their constant start-stop cycle allows regenerative braking to charge their batteries. But the engine in the post is not a hybrid locomotive, just a straight diesel-electric, and there's nothing significant about it.
AutoblogGreen really should be more selective about their posts and their terminology.
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