IRJ at InnoTrans 2024: LUXEMBOURG-based locomotive leasing company Nexrail is set to expand its fleet and is putting its weight behind battery technology as its preferred means of offering a clean traction option to customers.
The company is showing two types of locomotives at InnoTrans, both of which feature battery traction: two Vossloh DE 18 Smart Hybrid locomotives and one IPE e6shunting locomotive, which is a battery-only unit developed jointly by Nexrail and IPE RV, Italy.
The e6 locomotive was unveiled by Mr Fabia Barreca, CEO of IPE and members of the Nexrail board of directors, Mr Luuk von Meijenfeldt and Mr Mark Remie, during a ceremony on September 24.
The DE 18 SH is a centre cab locomotive with a diesel engine plus a battery pack. The battery pack is intended for use during stops, idling, and for short movements, such as during infrastructure works, and shunting.
The process to secure the Authorisation to Place on the Market (Apom) for the first batch of the DE 18 Smart Hybrid locomotives is well advanced according to Nexrail.
Nextail’s DE 18 Smart Hybrid locomotives will be certified for use in Luxembourg, Belgium and France, and will initially be equipped with ETCS Level 1. Toward the end of 2025, the locomotives will be upgraded with ETCS Level 2 and will also be approved to operate in Germany.
Furthermore, Nexrail plans to offer battery-only IPE e6 locomotives to customers seeking light line services and shunting. The electric locomotives have a maximum speed of 50km/h and can be hauled at up to 100km/h. They have a power output of 750kW and around 220kN of traction effort. The traction batteries have an output of between 468kWh and 936kWh and can be recharged with 720V, which means a recharging time of about 1 hour.
Certification of the locomotive is planned for Germany and Belgium but the e6 will have the potential to operate in most European countries. With the authorisation process underway, the first locomotives for use in Germany are expected to enter service towards the end of 2026.
