SpaceX former engineers reinventing freight

[rr6013]

Freight train by electric propulsion is being tested. Parallel Systems to use redundant motors replacing steel wheel trucks of yesteryear. Gone are the huge electric-driven petro-fueled engines in favor of the independent BEV self-propelled freight system. So too could be gone the long hours of assembling freight cars into long trains. As well, short sections of freight cars could self-propel onto rail siding without breaking the train down at railyards.

Multi-modal freight combines ship, train and truck transportation to complete cargo delivery using containers. This technology seeks to simplify and strengthen the efficiency in the utilization of containers by cutting time and expence during freight in the train segments.

Tesla could simply add-on a third BEV truck to existing railcar platforms. Saving the redesign and reinvention of proven railcars a single Tesla power unit could self-power railcars. The distinction between two self-piwered trucks and a single self-powered drive unit saves sunk cost lost in the abandonment of the existing railcar.. It would rely upon existing train engines to pull freight trains long haul. At points certain, self-powered freight cars would disengage and continue to destination under their own power.

In a multi-modal freight system if you bought it, a truck brought it. That would remain true in this new self-powered scenario. Good news. Tesla may built it.

 

[Sirfun]

Freight train by electric propulsion is being tested. Parallel Systems to use redundant motors replacing steel wheel trucks of yesteryear. Gone are the huge electric-driven petro-fueled engines in favor of the independent BEV self-propelled freight system. So too could be gone the long hours of assembling freight cars into long trains. As well, short sections of freight cars could self-propel onto rail siding without breaking the train down at railyards.

Multi-modal freight combines ship, train and truck transportation to complete cargo delivery using containers. This technology seeks to simplify and strengthen the efficiency in the utilization of containers by cutting time and expence during freight in the train segments.

Tesla could simply add-on a third BEV truck to existing railcar platforms. Saving the redesign and reinvention of proven railcars a single Tesla power unit could self-power railcars. The distinction between two self-piwered trucks and a single self-powered drive unit saves sunk cost lost in the abandonment of the existing railcar.. It would rely upon existing train engines to pull freight trains long haul. At points certain, self-powered freight cars would disengage and continue to destination under their own power.

In a multi-modal freight system if you bought it, a truck brought it. That would remain true in this new self-powered scenario. Good news. Tesla may built it.

It would be awesome to use these as a Hybrid system. The little carts have batteries and use those motors for regen instead of brakes, why waste all that momentum on braking. Then they could turn around and help the engine with all that free energy.

 

[charliemagpie]

It will never take off !!!!!

Probably a good interim thought. But long term(25 years+) is it required ?

Autonomous transport doesn't have to look like a car… it can look like what's in the picture, however unlike this plan, put on wheels, and it won’t need tracks.

I think its where we are already heading.

For long hauls, I envisage long tunnels, we won’t even see them drive themselves from depot, through tunnels directly to their destination.

In fact, they are sleds.

Commonly will be known as Bobs. I said it first !!

 

[Crissa]

Steel tracks and wheels are much, much more energy efficient than pavement and rubber. They can handle much, much higher loads, too.

These will probably get massive use in loading yards and expand from there. Trains that don't need engines, don't need crew, can arbitrarily connect and disconnect segments onto sidings... it'll be as big of a change as when they got rid of brake cars and cabooses.

If they can get them built and certified.

-Crissa

 

[Ogre]

These are more for small loads and adding back in feeder lines where they have been abandoned. The battery capacity on these isn’t near enough for long haul trains.

 

[Crissa]

These are more for small loads and adding back in feeder lines where they have been abandoned. The battery capacity on these isn’t near enough for long haul trains.

Toss some pantograph or pusher cars in there for the hills and it'll be like the old days when the hill climbs were electrified but with robots instead of human crews.

-Crissa

 

[CyberGus]

These are more for small loads and adding back in feeder lines where they have been abandoned. The battery capacity on these isn’t near enough for long haul trains.

A freight engine has 2200 gallons of diesel, which is about 80 mWh. A Tesla Megapack is 3 mWh and weighs 23 tons.

 

[Ogre]

A freight engine has 2200 gallons of diesel, which is about 80 mWh. A Tesla Megapack is 3 mWh and weighs 23 tons.

This is why it’s ideal for short runs. Move a containers, then roll over to the charger.

They would need to install charging stations along the train routes to accommodate these on long hauls.

 

[Bill906]

A freight engine has 2200 gallons of diesel, which is about 80 mWh. A Tesla Megapack is 3 mWh and weighs 23 tons.

All true. I'd just like to add some figures to further your point.

My google search showed 2200 gallons of diesel to have closer to 90MWh (89.54MWh)

Diesel locomotive engine is about 20-25% efficient. So only about 22.5 of those 90MWh are used to move the train. The other 67.5MWh are lost in heat.

2200 gallons of diesel weighs about 7.7 tons.

 

[Crissa]

Electric trains usually don't even have batteries. Since they're literally on rails, they can have direct current supplied via wires. That's how the TGD and all bullet trains in Europe and Japan run.

It's complex to have loads of pantograph wires in a switch yard, but they do; these could make the runs between pantograph wires without having to have switching engines, operate in small, rural sidings without power, and then pile into a longer train together.

Electric rail is a very mature technology - most of the steep passes were electrified a hundred years ago.

-Crissa

 

[Ogre]

There is a pretty huge gap between the amount of juice needed to push 8 passenger cars 100 miles versus pushing a 3 mile long train 1000 miles.

 

[Crissa]

There is a pretty huge gap between the amount of juice needed to push 8 passenger cars 100 miles versus pushing a 3 mile long train 1000 miles.

No, not really. Trains are very efficient. Remember, those passenger trains are going many, many times the speed of the cargo trains.

Like I said, electrics used to do the heavy lifting - it wasn't until diesels could get parity and switching out engines for the climb became more headache and costly that it went away. It's never been a problem of delivering the power.

-Crissa

 

[charliemagpie]

Consider the cost of energy continually dropping.

We are forecasting the future on today's prices.