Battery Electric Train Deliveries on Track to Quadruple in 2023, Says IDTechEx

Indeed, the new IDTechEx report shows that demand for 'untethered' electric trains will increase rapidly over the coming years, with sales growing four-fold year-on-year to reach over 100 deliveries in 2023. The primary drivers are rail OEMs and operators seeking to reduce high diesel costs, as well as self-made climate targets set to align with broader goals such as the Paris Agreement and 'Fit for 55' in Europe. Indeed, the newIDTechEx reportshows that demand for 'untethered' electric...

Indeed, the new IDTechEx report shows that demand for 'untethered' electric trains will increase rapidly over the coming years, with sales growing four-fold year-on-year to reach over 100 deliveries in 2023. The primary drivers are rail OEMs and operators seeking to reduce high diesel costs, as well as self-made climate targets set to align with broader goals such as the Paris Agreement and 'Fit for 55' in Europe.

Industry momentum is also building through the rapid advancement of Li-ion battery technology, with systems now capable of reaching the multi megawatt hour (MWh) level in confined carriage spaces. Systems up to ~14MWh are being installed today in the largest trains, known as battery electric locomotives, or BELs. In the future, the vast energy requirements of rail will eventually lead to some of the largest traction battery deployments across all electric vehicle markets – potentially beyond 20MWh per train.

Initial rail electrification will be led by multiple units (MU), which are trains used for passenger operations. Battery-electric MUs (BMUs) are being developed to replace the diesel MUs currently operating between regional and intercity lines. Initial deployments have focused on route lengths of up to around 100km, which requires battery systems comparable to commercial road vehicles today.

In the longer term, electrification will be led by locomotives, with adoption timelines provided in the report for mainline locomotives ('locomotives') and shunter locomotives ('shunters'), also known as switchers. Shunters are railyard vehicles used for moving various cars around yards or stations. Range is not as crucial for this sector, and there is greater potential for opportunity charging.

Mainline locomotives are largely commercial & industrial freight trains, although this varies between key electrification regions such as the US, Europe and China. Locomotives have a larger addressable market than multiple units, and since they are larger and more expensive, often with long range requirements, they require multi mega-watt hour battery systems from the start. Locomotives represent a great opportunity for the heavy-duty battery supply chain, with future GWh battery demand growing at 36% CAGR over the next decade.

To find out more about the new IDTechEx report "Battery Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains 2023-2043", including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Train.

IDTechEx Research

This research forms part of the broader electric vehicle and energy storage portfolio from IDTechEx, who track electric vehicle markets and technologies across land, sea and air, helping you navigate whatever may be ahead. Find out more at www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV.

Upcoming Free-to-Attend Webinar

Electric Trains: The Transition Towards Li-ion Batteries

Luke Gear, author of this article and the new IDTechEx report, will be presenting a webinar on the topic on Thursday 11 May 2023 - Electric Trains: The Transition Towards Li-ion Batteries.

In this webinar IDTechEx explores the markets and technologies for electric trains, including:

Click here to find out more and register your place on one of our three sessions. If you are unable to attend the date, please do register anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording and webinar slides as soon as they are available.

About IDTechEx

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com.

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