Leclanche provides battery tech for Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen locomotive project
Leclanché SA has announced that it will provide its proprietary battery technology to Canadian Pacific for its innovative Hydrogen Locomotive Program.
The CP hydrogen-powered locomotive pioneering project, first announced in December 2020, will retrofit a line-haul diesel freight locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and Leclanché's European manufactured lithium-ion batteries to power the locomotive's electric traction motors. Leclanché will also provide its proprietary energy management software for optimum integration. The project is designed to evaluate the combined technologies' readiness for the freight rail sector. Once the locomotive is operational, CP will conduct rail service trials and qualification testing. CP operates a 21,000-km (13,000-mile) rail network across Canada and the U.S. that serves deep-water ports on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The market for freight rail is large and growing across the world. In 2018, year-over-year, Canada's freight rail sector's workload, measured by gross ton-miles, increased by 6.2 percent and increased 10.1 percent compared with the five-year average. The distance traveled by Canada's freight trains, measured by freight train miles, increased by 5.4 percent to 68.6 million in 2018 versus 2017.
"Leclanche is pleased to have been chosen by Canadian Pacific for inclusion in its hydrogen locomotive, zero-emission freight train program," said Anil Srivastava, CEO, Leclanché. "This project further expands our addressable market to include electrification of the freight rail sector representing a major global opportunity for the reduction of greenhouse gases."
"Our battery systems and energy management software solution significantly increases the total energy efficiency compared to standalone fuel cell modules, reducing the total cost of ownership. In addition to North America, we are currently looking at the freight train market in Europe, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa – all of which are ideally suited for the transformation of their current diesel stock," said Srivastava.
