FROM THE RAILWAY GAZETTE INTERNATIONAL 19 October 2011
SPAIN: Meter-gauge transit operator FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha, meaning "Narrow-Gauge Railways") is a state-owned Spanish railway company that has unveiled a tram (can we still call it a "trolley" ? ) powered by two hydrogen fuel cells that can carry between 20 and 30 passengers at up to 20 km/h. (12 mph) .
The prototype was built at the company's PRAVIA workshops by Fenit Rail (in which FEVE holds a 37.5% interest), and it is hoped that it will enter service in Asturias, Spain, next year.
Developed at a cost of €1m --- one million Euros ($1,310,900) --- using a 14.3 meter (47 foot long) Series 3400 car originally built for SNCV of Belgium** and later operated by FEVE in Valencia, Spain, the prototype vehicle weighs 20 tonnes (44,000 pounds). It is powered by two 12 kW fuel cells, supplied with hydrogen from a rack of 12 canisters containing 105.6 cubic meters of the gas.
Current is fed to four asynchronous AC traction motors, each rated at 30 kiloWatts. Energy produced during regenerative braking is stored in three Maxwell HTM125 super-capacitor modules or lithium-ion batteries rated at 95 kiloWatts.
Power equipment was designed by CIDAUT, a transport and energy research and development centre formed in 1993 to draw upon the expertise of the University of Valladolid, in Spain. Funding for the project was provided by the Asturias regional government.
** Societe Nacional de Chemin de Fer Vicinal (Federal Local Railways Corporation --- think 'vicinity rail')
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