WORLD PREMIERE AT INNOTRANS: ROLLS-ROYCE TO PRESENT NEW mtu HYBRID POWERPACK

• mtu Hybrid PowerPack can be ordered immediately
• New mtu EnergyPack battery system as a core component
• Conventional mtu PowerPacks have been used successfully for 20 years

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY – Rolls-Royce is staging a world premiere with its mtu brand at Innotrans, the leading international trade fair for transport technology, in Berlin: the mtu Hybrid PowerPack will be on show together with the new mtu EnergyPack battery system as a product that is now available for ordering. It offers operators the possibility of saving costs while at the same time protecting the environment. The Hybrid PowerPack is a market-ready advanced development based on a test version that has demonstrated its reliability in an intensive test programme consisting, among other things, of test runs covering no less than 15,000 km. The new product will be on display at Innotrans from 20 to 23 September on the mtu stand in Hall 18, Stand 301. The mtu brand is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.

Bernd Krüper, Vice President Industrial Business at mtu, said: “We are proud that, after many years of pioneering work, we are now able to offer the railway market a mature product that meets all required railway standards and provides the customer with numerous benefits: using this drive system, operators will be able to achieve fuel savings of up to 25 per cent, while enjoying a significant reduction in exhaust and noise emissions. Furthermore, the integrated electric machine provides increased acceleration and the possibility of making up for delays.”

The Hybrid PowerPack combines a diesel engine with an electric machine, which can be used either as an electric motor or generator, and the mtu EnergyPack battery system, which stores the energy recovered during braking. The battery system has been significantly improved by mtu engineers since the completion of the trials with the hybrid test vehicle: The mtu EnergyPack, which was developed in cooperation with a development partner, consists of 180 individual Li-ion cells, has a capacity of 30.6 kilowatt hours and weighs 350 kilograms. To meet the wide range of customer requirements, multiple EnergyPacks can be connected. mtu guarantees a service life of 28,000 hours for the rail certified battery system, which is equivalent to a useful life of some eight years. mtu EnergyPacks can be installed in different areas of the vehicle, in the roof, for example, or the underfloor area of a railcar.

As a result of this flexibility in terms of installation options and the compact design of the Hybrid PowerPack, it is ideal both for newly developed vehicles and for repowering existing vehicles. When used in conjunction with a pantograph (current collector), the Hybrid PowerPack can also be used as a so-called trimodal propulsion system, since the electric drive system already incorporates an electric motor. This provides operators with further application possibilities and can also ensure that the value of the vehicle is maintained in the event that routes are electrified.

mtu can advise customers on the drive concept that best meets their needs and calculate whether the purchase of a Hybrid PowerPack is a sound financial investment for them or not: the company has the appropriate simulation tools and a hardware-in-the-loop test bench (in which a PowerPack can be tested in a virtual environment), which are used to calculate the life-cycle costs based on details of the vehicle and the profile of the planned routes. In this way, the optimum concept can be calculated for the customer before a decision is taken.

The Hybrid PowerPack is thus a ground-breaking version of the mtu PowerPack that has been operating successfully now for 20 years: these are compact drive systems, which, in addition to the engine and power transmission system, include all the ancillary systems required to operate the vehicle, such as the cooling system and exhaust gas aftertreatment system. mtu developed this concept 20 years ago and was the first company to do so worldwide. Since then, it has delivered over 6,000 PowerPacks to rail customers around the globe.