North America’s first hydrogen-powered prepare debuts in Canada

This summer time, North America’s first hydrogen-powered prepare started touring throughout the Canadian countryside. The French passenger prepare is a short-term demonstration, working by way of the top of September, that goals to spark adoption in Canada and the US. “I believe an important factor that’s going to return out of it’s individuals’s consciousness and luxury with the expertise,” Robert Stasko, government director of Ontario’s Hydrogen Enterprise Council, informed CBC Information.

The Canadian loaner runs from Montmorency Falls in Quebec Metropolis to Base-Saint-Paul — a two-and-a-half hour journey — on Wednesdays to Sundays by way of September thirtieth. The prepare has a high velocity of 140 km/h (87 mph) and might carry as much as 120 individuals in its two passenger vehicles. The French firm Alstom, which makes the prepare, says its acceleration and braking efficiency is comparable to straightforward diesel-engine trains — sans the emissions. Whereas a lot of Europe makes use of trains with electrical rails or overhead wires, hydrogen trains are perfect for locations just like the Canadian countryside, with its lengthy distances and comparatively low commuter density. (A lot of the US would match that invoice as effectively.)

The identical mannequin of prepare, the Coradia iLint, has already made runs in eight European nations. As many as 14 of the identical mannequin started working a route in Decrease Saxony, Germany, final yr. Alstom started testing the trains in 2018 and has extra contracts in Germany, Italy and France. The corporate says European shoppers have ordered 41 of the trainsets.

The Coradia iLint makes use of a ballpark of “about 50 kilograms of hydrogen a day,” says Serge Harnois, CEO of Hanois Énergies, the prepare’s hydrogen gasoline provider. The identical journey utilizing a normal engine would burn round 500 liters of diesel gasoline. It solely emits water vapor alongside its journey as a byproduct of mixing hydrogen with oxygen in a gasoline cell to generate its energy.

There are some asterisks to connect to the three-month demo. First, it requires a diesel-powered truck to move the hydrogen to the prepare each time it refuels. (Harnois says that, ideally, the hydrogen would finally be produced onsite to keep away from this step.) We additionally should marvel in regards to the emissions produced on its presumed voyage from Europe to Canada for its mere three-month demo. Nonetheless, the prepare will transfer on to different North American cities after its summer time residence. The long-term objective is for the tour to assist promote widespread hydrogen-train adoption throughout completely different North American areas, which — if profitable — might greater than offset the carbon footprint from its diesel-truck top-offs and journey throughout the Atlantic.