photo: ŠKODA press materials/Škoda Transportation is preparing to test hybrid battery powered trains
As part of the trials, a hybrid two-car train with traction from batteries and a catamaran of Czech manufacturer Škoda Transportation will have to accelerate to 120 km/h and cover a distance of 80 km on a single battery charge.
This unit is based on the traditional Škoda 7Ev single-deck platform (produced since 2011) and is being developed for the Central European market. The trains will be able to run not only in a two-car composition but in coupling with old cars, too.
Škoda Transportation claims that it is actively investing in the development of battery traction for different types of rolling stock, choosing the best option in terms of both price and battery capacity. For example, in 2014, the manufacturer developed the ForCity Classic hybrid streetcar for the Turkish city of Konya, equipped with batteries with a range of 3 km.
SCI Verkehr, an independent consulting firm specializing in traffic economy and traffic engineering, predicted in the summer of 2020 that the supply of multi-section trains running on alternative energy sources could reach 1 billion euros by 2024. Most of the growth in demand, according to their forecasts, will be in Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and other EU countries, as well as China and Australia.
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