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Bombardier introduces new mass transit power system without wires
This is not actually something new from Bombardier, but dates back to 2008-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_energy_transfer
I suspect hat this may be the first attempt at a full commercial installation.
42d Street, in Manhattan, New York City, would be a great place to demonstrate this innovation, East River to the Hudson.
Bombardier has been testing this technology for about two years. The Primove equipment was on static display along with some demonstration videos from Augsburg at Innotrans 2010. The first tram equipped with the induction pickups was a Flexity tram borrowed from the Heidelberg/Mannheim transit authority VRN or Verkehrsmittel Rhein Neckar. It’s special to me since I lived in Heidelberg for four years.
What’s left out of this article is that Bombardier developed the technology in order to compete with Alstom’s Innorail technology, which is an intermediate step towards Primove in the evolution of the technology. Alstom put a third rail between the rails flush with the street, then broke it into switched blocks that are only live when covered by a passing tram to prevent pedestrians from getting shocked. Innorail has been in place in Bordeaux for nearly a decade, and it has proven the viability of switched block power supply, though not without several years of teething problems. Primove takes the technology one step further by eliminating the need for any kind of direct electrical contact. I’m glad to hear that the tests in Augsburg have proven successful enough to gain the interest of more transit authorities. I have not yet heard of Innorail being installed anywhere other than Bordeaux.
Inductive power is nothing new. Farmers in the Midwest had silo unloaders with inductive power pickup for well over half a century. I should know. We had two on the farm. Each of the neighbors had at least one. The key to making it work successfully is a very liberal amount of grease applied to to the surfaces on a regular schedule. And don’t touch any exposed surfaces when the system is powered. Works with A.C. single phase and three phase motors.
Would be a great topic for a Trains article–neat physics lesson. I would wonder about the electromagnetic influence, however, to people crossing the tracks, etc.
This, indeed, is very good news.
If this works out as planned, this will be a major step forward in railroad electrification technology.
With trains being freed from constant contact with overhead wires, this will greatly reduce the costs of electrification.
I would like to see this technology applied to long distance (Amtrak and freight) operations, if this can be done. Sharply reducing the costs, by eliminating the need for overhead wiring and all its associated structures; would make large scale electrification in the US much more attractive to the US freight and passenger services.
I agree with Eric that this would be a good subject for a Trains article. I have so many doubts about it being safe, practical, and cost effective, but then they wouldn’t put money into it if they didn’t believe it had potential.
B. Hoyt Drayer wrote the following regarding Alstom’s Innorail (APS or Ground-Level Suppy) technology, which was first install in Bordeaux, France in 2003:
“I have not yet heard of Innorail being installed anywhere other than Bordeaux.”
The teething problems experienced in Bordeaux in 2003, which I witnessed during a visit in 2004, were worked out by 2005. They included oil drippings from motorcycles illegally using the trackway on the historic bridge over the Rived Gironde seeping into the control boxes and destroying the insulation on wires; solution, rewire with petroleum-resistant wires.
Since then Alstom has installed APS on portions of new tramways in the French cities of Angers, Orleans and Reims and is in the process of providing it to Tours (also France); Brasilia (Brazil); and Dubai; the latter will be an all-APS system without the use of trolley wire or catenary.
Suffice to say, Innorail is a service-proven technology albeit one that has electrification costs substantially higher than that using an Overhead Contact System (OCS), Still if aesthetic or other considerations (such as extended overhead clearances due to overhanging trees that are of historic significance), the use of APS can permit new tramway or light rail lines that would otherwise be prohibited on grounds of negative environmental impact. Like so many things, the wisdom of whether or not to employ wireless traction power distribution systems all depends on the specifics.
I can see it now…Washington DC would be first.
Being personally equipped with a ICD pacemaker/defibrillator, this would raise all sorts of cardiac concerns for me. I’ve already been warned about Maglev trains.
I would like to see a lower powered system under streets to power cars and trucks. Expensive at first, but could replace gas and oil usage.
Interesting technology. I wonder about the long term effect of water, ice , and snow pooling over the buried cables. In theory it might improve the effectiveness of inductive power transfer or cause problems such as potential shorts or power hinderance.
I have a friend that actually lives on “The Deuce” (42d St. and 2d Ave.). He could get a Chebby ‘Volt’ and recharge it by driving cross-town (for free). Of course, Aunt Matilda could get glued to the tracks because of her titanium hip-replacement joint, but it would ensnare more loons with multiple piercings. That would be cool! “Put 'er in ‘Run 8’, Hector. We got one on the track!”.