photo: web

The first China-developed hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid locomotive rolled off the production line on Thursday, signaling a key breakthrough in hydrogen utilization technology in the country.

The locomotive was designed by CRRC Datong Electric Locomotive Co with a design speed of 80 km/h and a continuous power of 700 kW. With full load of hydrogen it can run continuously for 24.5 hours. 

"Hydrogen fuel cell hybrid locomotives are energy saving and high efficient. The test run data show that the energy conversion efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells is significantly higher than that of traditional internal combustion units," said Zhao Mingyuan, deputy general manager and chief engineer of CRRC Datong.

Hydrogen-fueled hybrid locomotives are not only cheaper and easier to maintain but are also more environmentally friendly with water being the only emission, helping to realize zero emission of carbon and pollutants, experts said.

"As an important clean energy, the use of hydrogen fuel in the field of transportation has been an important industrial direction," Zhao said, adding that at present hydrogen fuel has been successfully applied in aerospace, automobile, urban tram in China.