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

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

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

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.

References