Progress Rail Building Battery-Electric Locomotives in Australia

The prototype BEL, which Progress Rail is building at its Redbank facility in Southeast Queensland, will be based on the EMD® Joule SD40JR, albeit with a higher power rating of 4.5MWh. The unit “will be designed as a heavy-haul freight locomotive, capable of working at locations across Aurizon’s national footprint and suitable for Australia’s harsh operating conditions,” Progress Rail said. The locomotive will employ regenerative braking to assist in battery charging.

Retrofitting a 4000 Class locomotive is targeted at “recycling and re-using existing assets with stored carbon,” Aurizon said. The build involves removing the diesel engine, fuel tank, radiators, alternator, two traction inverters and other components; overhauling and retaining the engineer’s cab, chassis, bogies (trucks) and traction motors; and installing lithium-ion battery packs, the control system, inverters for each axle, and an air compressor.

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