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Transport

China launches 100-mph hydrogen/supercapacitor train

By Loz Blain
January 22, 2023
China launches 100-mph hydrogen/supercapacitor train
Chinese rail giant CRRC has debuted its first hydrogen-powered passenger train
Chinese rail giant CRRC has debuted its first hydrogen-powered passenger train
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Chinese rail giant CRRC has debuted its first hydrogen-powered passenger train
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Chinese rail giant CRRC has debuted its first hydrogen-powered passenger train
The four-car train can reach speeds of 160 km/h, making it the fastest machine of its kind in the world
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The four-car train can reach speeds of 160 km/h, making it the fastest machine of its kind in the world

The world's largest rail vehicle manufacturer has rolled out a zero-emissions train running on hydrogen fuel cells with a supercapacitor buffer. The four-car train is capable of 100 mph (160 km/h), making it the fastest hydrogen train to date.

Jointly developed by state-owned industrial monolith CRRC and Chengdu Rail Transit, this is China's first hydrogen-powered passenger train, offering a range of 373 miles (600 km), and emitting nothing but water. It's capable of self-driving, with 5G communications, automatic wake-up, start and stop, and return to depot functionality.

Germany is ahead on this kind of thing, with some 14 hydrogen-fueled Alstom trains already in service as of last year. The CRRC machine can beat the German trains for speed by around 20 km/h (12 mph), but the German trains currently offer a much greater range at ~620 miles (1,000 km).

It's interesting to note that while Japan and Korea have been the most vocal countries pushing for green hydrogen as a transport solution, the latest figures show China is taking the lead in actual hydrogen refueling station deployments. There are only a little over 1,000 hydrogen stations in the world, according to Information Trends, and around one-third of them are in China.

The four-car train can reach speeds of 160 km/h, making it the fastest machine of its kind in the world
The four-car train can reach speeds of 160 km/h, making it the fastest machine of its kind in the world

That might be a telling move; the country that controls the vast majority of the lithium battery supply chain is also quietly moving the fastest on hydrogen. With a lithium resource squeeze threatening to drive prices through the roof and kneecap the electric revolution right as it's picking up speed, it would seem prudent to push hydrogen alternatives early.

Source: Global Times

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TransportChinaHydrogen-poweredHydrogenTrainsSupercapacitor
10 comments
Loz Blain
Loz Blain
Loz has been one of our most versatile contributors since 2007, and has since proven himself as a photographer, videographer, presenter, producer and podcast engineer, as well as a senior features writer. Joining the team as a motorcycle specialist, he's covered just about everything for New Atlas, concentrating lately on clean energy, AI, humanoid robotics, next-gen aircraft, and the odd bit of music and automotive. In February 2024, he stepped up to lead New Atlas as Editorial Director, and he's as curious as anyone to see how that pans out.

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pete-y
It would be interesting to find out how the supercapacitor buffer is integrated and what it is used for. Why not a battery buffer? Or both???
The use of a supercapacitor integrated with batteries could give faster charging.
pbethel
And they have huge coal fired plants to produce the hydrogen. Win win.
meofbillions
I get the feeling that we will see more and more applications for hydrogen, despite all the bad mouthing coming from erroneously-informed people. It's not possible for us to reach net zero carbon by 2050 without the lion's share of the technology being involved with hydrogen.
Brian M
@meofbillions 100% right the sensible money is on Hydrogen, unfortunately in the UK we are betting on the wrong horse with Li type batteries as the prime mover.
Hydrogen gives a distribution and storage capability and model a lot closer to that of fossil fuels.

Hydrogen production methods (so often reported in these pages) are becoming greener and more efficient, it really should be a no-brainer!

drzarkov99
Sorry, Brian M, but hydrogen can't be distributed and stored in the same manner as fossil fuels. Two major problems: one is the small size of hydrogen atoms makes them able to escape existing pipelines, and could even create fire hazards along the way from leakage; second is hydrogen embrittlement, where the hydrogen invades the metal structure of storage to cause fractures. There are two possible ways to address this: use either methane or ammonia as the transport media, using catalytic converters at the end to release the hydrogen; or use electrolysis at the end point to create hydrogen from existing water supplies. Expensive, but as has been said, "there ain't no free lunch."
ljaques
@pbethel Yes, China has coal and natural gas, producing 60% and 25% of their H2 respectively. But it also has rapidly increasing hydro, solar, wind, and wave, as well as many new nuclear plants being built.
For Earth's future, my money is on green H2, nuclear, solar, wind, and wave.
I wonder how many fuel cells it takes for that train, what the cost is, what the lifetime is, and what it will cost to replace them when the time comes. What parts, if any, of a fuel cell are reusable or recyclable?
jerryd
The most expensive least efficient fuel with the most expensive conversion/Fuel Cell using the most, 30x, expensive, heavy, space grabbing storage, it can only succeed!! s
And the thing about any H2 transport, power, they build a few, use them then move on as they see just how bad the numbers are.
This happens every 10-14 yrs since the 60s. You'd be amazed how little they have improved since the 80s. It's really just a way for FF people to keep their hand in your pocket by delaying real solutions.
George Kafantaris
“[China,] the country that controls the vast majority of the lithium battery supply chain is also quietly moving the fastest on hydrogen. With a lithium resource squeeze threatening to drive prices through the roof and kneecap the electric revolution right as it's picking up speed, it would seem prudent to push hydrogen alternatives early.”
Exactly.
And that’s what we’re trying to say. In the next decade hydrogen fuel cell prices will be reduced dramatically with automation and mass production -- benefits that cannot translate to raw materials like lithium. As such, for battery cars that depend on it, you will “pay a higher price, you get less of a car.” -- Felix Gres
mikewax
the supercap buffer is for regenerative braking. It's the only way to absorb that much power and store it without converting it to heat with a brake shoe. Batteries, even lipos, have too much internal resistance to do that. But these supercaps are PRICEY, and can only hold that much charge for a brief period.
JeremyH
Sorry, drzarkov99 Germany has H2 pipelines. H2 was the main component of the domestic gas we in the UK used before 'natural gas' took over. Strangely it is He that is the really slippery gas, since H2 is less leaky that He.