GERMANY: DB Cargo has awarded Vossloh Locomotives a framework contract for the supply of 250 diesel-battery hybrid locomotives, with a firm order for an initial 50 to be delivered from 2024.
Announcing the order on January 18, Dr Bernd Hoppe, CEO of CRRC ZELC-owned Vossloh Locomotives, said the centre-cab DM 20 hybrid locomotive design was ‘ideally suited to the range of tasks at DB Cargo, both in shunting and main line operations.’
DB Cargo has ordered the DM 20 BDD variant, which has two diesel generator sets with an output of more than 900 kW plus a lithium titanate traction battery with a capacity of over 120 kWh.
Vossloh Locomotives said the onboard battery storage would allow optimised usage of the second engine, providing a significant reduction in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The battery can be charged using regenerative braking or by plugging it in to an external power source.
The locomotives will have provision for conversion to overhead electric operation with energy storage, which would remove the need for the diesel engines, and for the retrofitting of future energy storage and energy generation technologies.
