The is a two-car
battery electric multiple unit
A battery electric multiple unit (BEMU), battery electric railcar or accumulator railcar is an electrically driven multiple unit or railcar whose energy is derived from rechargeable batteries driving the traction motors.
Prime advantages of these ...
(BEMU) train type operated by
East Japan Railway Company
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
(JR East) on the
Karasuyama Line
The is a railway line in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects in the town of Takanezawa with in Nasukarasuyama.
Services
Trains run approximately once every hour, traveling the ...
and
Tohoku Main Line since 15 March 2014.
The train goes by the nickname .
Overview
Developed from the experimental "
Smart Denchi-kun" battery railcar tested on the
Karasuyama Line
The is a railway line in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects in the town of Takanezawa with in Nasukarasuyama.
Services
Trains run approximately once every hour, traveling the ...
in 2012, the two-car EV-E301 series train operates as an
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
(EMU) under the 1,500 V DC overhead wire of the
Tohoku Main Line between and , and on battery power over the non-electrified Karasuyama Line. It can also be recharged via its
pantographs at a recharging facility specially built at
Karasuyama Station
is a railway station in the city of Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Karasuyama Station forms the terminus of the Karasuyama Line, a 20.4 km branch line from .
Station layout
The s ...
.
The two-car trainsets are equipped with 190 kWh
lithium-ion storage batteries,
and the train has a maximum design speed of , although it normally runs at up to in service.
File:JR East EV-E300-1 V1 ACCUM Okamoto 20140316.jpg, Set V1 running under overhead wires on the Tohoku Line in March 2014
File:EV-E300-1 V1 at karasuyama station.JPG, Set V1 being recharged at Karasuyama Station in March 2014
Formation
The two-car trains are formed as shown below, with car 1 at the Utsunomiya end.
The Mc car has two PS38 single-arm pantographs.
Interior
Internally, the train uses
LED lighting
An LED lamp or LED light bulb is an electric light that produces light using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LED lamps are significantly more energy-efficient than equivalent incandescent lamps
and can be significantly more efficient than mos ...
throughout.
Seating accommodation consists of longitudinal bench seating.
The train is not equipped with a toilet.
File:Series EV-E301 Inside.jpg, View of the interior
File:Series EV-E301 Priority-seat.jpg, Priority seating
File:Series EV-E301 Free-space.jpg, Equipment room and free space
File:Series EV-E301 Cab.jpg, Driver's cab
File:JR East EV-E300-1 V1 ACCUM information display 20140316.jpg, LCD display
Bogies
Each car is mounted on a TR255D non-powered trailer bogie at the outer end, and a DT79 motored bogie at the inner end.
File:EV-E301 TR255D bogie 20140121.JPG, TR233D trailer bogie
File:EV-E301 DT79 bogie 20140121.JPG, DT79 motor bogie
History
![EV-E301 Zushi 20140121](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/EV-E301_Zushi_20140121.JPG)
The first set, V1, was delivered from the
Japan Transport Engineering Company
is a manufacturer of heavy rail cars in Japan, formerly known as . The company is based in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, and a member of East Japan Railway Company (JR East) group. J-TREC manufactures rail vehicles not only for JR East and Tokyu Corp ...
(J-TREC) factory in Yokohama on 21 January 2014.
Test running commenced on 23 January, on the
Utsunomiya Line
The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Compan ...
, including running on battery power with the pantographs lowered.
It entered revenue service on the Karasuyama Line from the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014.
In May 2015, the EV-E301 series was awarded the 2015
Laurel Prize
The is an award presented annually in Japan since 1961 by the Japan Railfan Club. It is awarded for railway vehicles that entered service in the previous year and voted by the selection committee as having the most outstanding functional and des ...
, presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club.
A presentation ceremony was held at
Karasuyama Station
is a railway station in the city of Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Karasuyama Station forms the terminus of the Karasuyama Line, a 20.4 km branch line from .
Station layout
The s ...
on 26 September 2015.
A further three two-car EV-E301 series trainsets were delivered to Utsunomiya from the J-TREC factory in Yokohama in February 2017.
These entered service from the start of the revised timetable on 4 March 2017, replacing the remaining diesel multiple unit trains operating on the Karasuyama Line.
See also
*
Smart BEST
The Smart BEST is an experimental Japanese two-car self-charging battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train developed and manufactured by Kinki Sharyo in 2012 to demonstrate the feasibility of battery train technology for use on non-electrified ...
, a self-charging BEMU train developed by
Kinki Sharyo
is a Japanese manufacturer of railroad vehicles based in Osaka. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation. In business since 1920 (as Tanaka Rolling Stock Works) and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945. They have produced light ...
in 2012
*
BEC819 series
The , branded "DENCHA" (Dual Energy Charge Train), is a two-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) on inter-running services over the Fukuhoku Yutaka Line and Chikuhō Main Line in Fukuoka ...
, an AC BEMU introduced by JR Kyushu in 2016
*
EV-E801 series
The is a two-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Oga Line in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan since 4 March 2017.
Overview
The train is derived from the experimental ...
, an AC BEMU introduced by JR East on the
Oga Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Oiwake Station (Akita), Oiwake Station in Akita, Akita, Akita, Akita Prefecture to Oga Station in Oga, Akita, Oga, Akita Prefecture. It is nicknamed th ...
in 2017
References
{{JR East EMU
Electric multiple units of Japan
East Japan Railway Company
Train-related introductions in 2014
1500 V DC multiple units of Japan
Battery electric multiple units
J-TREC multiple units