Rail
Just one press of a button by the train driver is all that is required to switch over to
electric traction mode.
Fuel consumption up to 25 percent lower
and almost silent operation even on routes
without overhead power lines. Both are
made possible by the new MTU Hybrid Po-
werpack. It is currently undergoing testing in
a railcar in Germany and is expected to be
approved for use on local services by the end
of the year.
All of a sudden silence descends. Not even the
distinct hum of the MTU diesel engines is to be
Quiet
heard. They have gone quiet too. Almost noise-
lessly, the red Siemens Desiro VT 642 railcar
glides past the green forests and white houses
of the hilly Bavarian landscape. Just before
everything fell silent, there was a soft click – just
the press of a button by the train driver was all
that was required to switch the diesel engine of
Since May 2012 the hybrid railcar has been in action
success
at shows and in practical trials.
the new MTU Hybrid Powerpack off and the elec-
tric motor on. A smile spreads over the face of
MTU project manager Ingo Lehmann. He and his
team have been working on this special hybrid
powerpack for years. It has long since demons-
trated its capabilities on the test bench. Now it ­is
being tested out on the German railway.
Approval for passenger service by end
of the year
“The VT 642 is something new in Continental
Europe. It is the first railcar to be powered by a
«The VT 642 is the first railcar in Continental Europe to be
powered by a hybrid traction system with a diesel engine and
»
electric ­motor.   Ingo Lehmann, MTU Friedrichshafen
18  I  MTU Report 02/12
hybrid traction system with a diesel engine and
electric motor,” Lehmann explains. As part of a
joint pilot project with Deutsche Bahn subsidiary
DB RegioNetz Verkehr GmbH Westfrankenbahn,
MTU converted a Class 642 railcar with diesel-
mechanical traction to hybrid power. Since May
2012 it has been in action at shows and in prac-
tical trials. Approval for operation on passen-
ger services is scheduled for the end of the year.
­The project has been subsidized by the German
­Federal Ministry for Transport, Construction and
Urban Development as part of the Electric Trans-
port Model Regions program which is coordinated
by NOW GmbH, Germany’s national organization
for hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
Fuel consumption up to 25 percent lower
The Hybrid Powerpack has been developed from
the proven MTU underfloor traction modules. Up
to now they have contained only a single ­power
unit, a diesel engine. The Hybrid Powerpack has
not only a 315-kilowatt Type 6H 1800 R75 die-
sel unit but also a up to 400-kilowatt electric
­motor. And MTU has also incorporated an SCR
exhaust aftertreatment system with an urea tank
in the hybrid power module to comply with EU
IIIB emission standard which came into force as
of 2012. In this configuration, the Hybrid Power-
pack is also suitable for ecologically repowering
existing diesel railcars. As a parallel hybrid unit,
the ­underfloor traction module can be operated
in diesel-only or electric-only mode or in diesel-
electric mode. And that pays dividends. Both fuel
consumption and carbon ­dioxide emissions can
be reduced by as much as 25 percent.
MTU Report 02/12  I  19

With the MTU Hybrid Powerpack railcars can reduce both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 25 percent.
Energy from braking
The new traction system enables recovery of
the kinetic energy from braking by converting it
into electrical energy using an alternator. Ingo
­Lehmann, the man in charge of the rail hybrid
project at MTU, explains the principle: “Every
time the train brakes, the energy is stored in a
lithium-ion battery. And whenever it is required to
power the electric motor, the battery gives that
energy back – when passing through a tunnel,
­arriving at a station or traveling through a densely
populated area.” The recovered braking energy is
also used to supply auxiliary electrical equipment
such as air conditioning compressors. It is a tech-
nology that is particularly effective on local ser-
vice routes involving stop-and-go operation with
frequent braking and acceleration phases.
The division of tasks between MTU and Deut-
sche Bahn was clear – MTU developed the ­Hybrid
­Powerpack and bench-tested it. Deutsche Bahn,
for their part, integrated the components and
systems in the existing railcar and will have the
vehicle approved for local passenger service.
As another part of the project, the manufac-
turer Konvekta Schwalmstadt also developed and
­tested out an eco-friendly CO2 air conditioning
system which will reduce the energy demand for
«This project is a significant milestone along the way to
­universal use of low-emission and environmentally friendly
trains on non-electrified lines.
»
Claus Werner, DB RegioNetz Verkehrs GmbH
air conditioning by ten percent. The system will
also be powered by energy from the lithium-ion
batteries.
“Significant milestone”
Following passenger-service approval, the ­hybrid
prototype will go into service with Deutsche Bahn
subsidiary Westfrankenbahn on the route bet-
ween Aschaffenburg and Miltenberg in the ­Lower
Main region of Bavaria. With its 14 stops in the
space of 37 kilometers, this route provides the
ideal situation for testing out the hybrid trac-
tion unit in stop-and-go conditions. The insights
gained from passenger service operation there
will inform related follow-on projects. The aim is
to convert more locomotives in the coming years
and to develop the hybrid technology to the point
where it is ready for series production as a trac-
tion unit for local transport railcars. The techno-
logy will be a modular concept so that it can be
Rail
ME MO
Brake & Save
When a train brakes, it releases large amounts of energy in the form
of heat. Normally, that energy simply dissipates and is not used.
However, it can be used to drive the train and MTU’s Hybrid Power-
pack makes use of the principle involved: A specially developed
crankshaft starter-generator (CSG) absorbs the kinetic energy, con-
verts it to electrical energy and stores it in a lithium-ion battery.
When the train moves off, the current flows from the battery to the
CSG which re-converts the electrical energy to kinetic energy, dri-
ving the crankshaft. Depending on demand, a frequency converter
Conventional Powerpacks form the basis for the MTU hybrid system.
controls the flow of energy from the battery to the drive unit and
However, they have been modified to create enough space for the
back.
hybrid technology. That means that they can be fitted in trains as
part of routine repowering operations.
adapted to different topographical conditions. It
will thus be fundamentally transferrable to diffe-
rent classes and usable across Deutsche Bahn or
by other public transport companies. “This pro-
ject is therefore a significant milestone along the
way to universal use of low-emission and environ-
mentally friendly trains on non-electrified lines,”
states Clause Werner, who is in charge of testing
and approval of the hybrid railcar at DB Region-
Netz Verkehrs GmbH.
Text: Lucie Dammann
Pictures: Robert Hack
Graphics: Roland Witsch
To find out more, contact:
Ingo Lehmann
ingo.lehmann@mtu-online.com
Tel. +49 7541 90-3467 9
1 Diesel engine
2 Crankshaft Starter-Generator
The lithium-ion batteries for traction and onboard (CSG)
power supply on the railcar are mounted on the roof 3 Gearbox
of the vehicle together with the DC/DC transformer 4 Exhaust aftertreatment system
for onboard power supply, the central control cabinet, 5 AdBlue® tank
the air conditioner for the lithium-ion batteries, the 3 5 2 1 8 4 7 6 6 Lithium-ion battery
new-design air conditioning system for the passenger 7 Traction power converter
compartment and the auxiliary equipment power 8 System controller
converter it requires. 9 Onboard power supply
MTU Report 02/12  I  21