The (New Energy Train) was an experimental railcar which has been used to test a number of alternative power sources by the

Railway Technical Research Institute , or , is the technical research company under the Japan Railways group of companies. Overview RTRI was established in its current form in 1986 just before Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatised and split into separate JR group compani ...

(RTRI) and

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) in Japan since 2003.

History

KiYa E991 diesel/battery hybrid railcar

The "NE Train" was first delivered from

Tokyu Car Corporation Tokyu may refer to: * Tokyu Group, a group of companies centered on Tokyu Corporation ** Tokyu Corporation, a Japanese railway company, the largest member and parent company of the group ** Tokyu Car Corporation, a former Japanese railway vehicle m ...

in April 2003, configured as the world's first hybrid diesel/battery railcar and classified as KiYa E991-1. The stainless steel bodyshell was derived from the E127-100 series EMU design, with cabs at either end and no gangways. From 6 May 2003, it was tested on the

Nikkō is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

and

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 ...

s. Data obtained from these trials was used to develop the

KiHa E200 The is a single-car hybrid diesel multiple unit (DMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Koumi Line in Japan. Three cars were delivered in April 2007, entering revenue service from 31 July 2007. The body design ...

DMU, which entered service on the

Koumi Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Kobuchizawa Station in Hokuto, Yamanashi with Komoro Station in Komoro, Nagano, and extends 78.9 km (49.0 mi) through the mountains with a total of 3 ...

from July 2007. The train used small

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...

and high powered cells as would be used in a hybrid automobile. File:KiYa E991-1 NE Train Zushi 20030422.jpg, The KiYa E991-1 "NE Train" on delivery in April 2003 File:KiYaE991 NE Train Omiya Works 20040529.JPG, "NE Train" in its first incarnation as diesel/battery hybrid KiYa E991-1 in May 2004

KuMoYa E995 fuel-cell/battery hybrid railcar

The "NE Train" underwent modifications in 2006 to replace the diesel generator with a hydrogen fuel cell, becoming the world's first fuel-cell/battery hybrid railway vehicle, classified KuMoYa E995-1. The vehicle was fitted with six hydrogen tanks (with total capacity of 270 L) and

with increased storage capacity (19 kWh) compared with the earlier KiYa E991 hybrid version. These powered two 95 kW traction motors. The railcar was based at Nagano depot, and tested on JR East main lines in the

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

area during fiscal 2007 at speeds of up to 100 km/h.

KuMoYa E995 series battery railcar

JR East EV-E300-1 V1 ACCUM Demonstration

The "NE Train" again underwent modifications at Tokyu Car Corporation's factory in Yokohama in 2009 to become a

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 ...

with the addition of a

pantograph A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...

and

storage batteries A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...

replacing the earlier fuel cell, and rebranded . This railcar has a maximum service speed of and can operate on battery power alone a distance of up to 50 km away from an overhead power supply. The railcar was test-run within Ōmiya Works from October 2009, with test running 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 ...

under consideration from January 2010.Alt URL
/ref> The unit was modified in August 2011, with one of the four lithium battery units relocated beneath the passenger seats, increasing available space. In February and March 2012, the programme entered its final phase. Nighttime trial runs were conducted on the non-electrified

outside operating hours. A recharging facility was built at the line terminus

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 ...

. It consists of a rigid overhead conductor bar which recharges the train via its pantograph. The overhead conductor bar is rated at 1,500 V DC, powered by local

electricity grid An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:Kaplan, S. M. (2009). Smart Grid. Electrical Power ...

at 6,600 V AC. A single charge of 10 minutes gives a range of approximately . The programme eventually developed into the

EV-E301 series The is a two-car battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on the Karasuyama Line and Tohoku Main Line since 15 March 2014. The train goes by the nickname . Overview Developed from the ...

, a two-car

. The series entered passenger service on the

and Tohoku Main Line in March 2014.

References

External links

JR East press release announcing "NE Train" fuel-cell hybrid programme (11 April 2006)

JR East press release announcing "NE Train" battery railcar programme (6 October 2009)
{{JR East EMU East Japan Railway Company Train-related introductions in 2003 Hybrid multiple units of Japan Experimental vehicles Tokyu Car multiple units