On March 28, China's first 2400-kilowatt high-power hydrogen energy shunting locomotive underwent a loading test at Sidaoliu Station on the Batuta-Zhunge’er Line under CHN Energy’s Xinshuo Railway. This loading test pulled 105 C80 carriges over a period of 165 minutes. The locomotive successfully ran two kilometers at a constant speed powered by hydrogen gas, consuming 40 kilograms of hydrogen fuel, marking a key breakthrough in the commercial application of high-power hydrogen energy power equipment for heavy-duty railways in China.
The locomotive at Sidaoliu coal loading station preparing to enter the station for coal loading.
This high-power hydrogen energy shunting locomotive under test this time adopts a modular, standardized, and universal design. It can meet different traction application needs through various power supply modes and energy output strategies, including hydrogen fuel supply, lithium battery supply, and hybrid power supply. It can operate on both "electrified and non-electrified" lines, demonstrating a wide range of environmental adaptability. It can fulfill the requirements of internal shunting, short hauls, loop line loading, and power plant delivery and pickup; with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, its wheel rim power can briefly reach 2400 kilowatts, and its maximum starting tractive force is 560 kilonewtons. It can meet the maximum traction load requirement of more than 10,000 tons on flat tracks and a 5000-ton load requirement on 4‰ grade slopes, balancing the needs for shunting locomotive endurance and short-term high power, thereby being more efficient and energy-saving.
With the successful trial of the hydrogen energy shunting locomotive for pulling and loading tasks, the second phase of trials for China's first high-power hydrogen energy shunting locomotive has been fully completed. Moreover, this marks an important milestone in the green transformation of production modes for heavy-duty railways under the background of the "dual carbon" goals, further promoting the transition of high-power hydrogen energy locomotives from experimental to practical application in the heavy-duty railway sector, providing scientific and technological support for the rapid development of new productive forces in China's heavy-duty railway power equipment."
