USA: A four-axle diesel locomotive rebuilt for hydrogen‑battery traction has entered service at a Sierra Northern Railway freight facility in West Sacramento. The project, launched in 2021, received a $4 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC).
The conversion is based on a Railpower RP20BD diesel locomotive, a type produced since 2008 by Railpower Technologies through the overhaul and remanufacturing of legacy units. The locomotive is equipped with two 120 kW hydrogen fuel cells supplied by Ballard Power Systems of Canada and a 500 kW⋅h battery pack. It is reported to be capable of operating for 80‑100 hours between refuellings, with each refuelling taking up to two hours.
Launch of the converted hydrogen-battery locomotive for Sierra Northern Railway. Source: KCRA 3
In summer 2023, Sierra Northern Railway received a further $19.5 million from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD) to convert three additional diesel locomotives using the same technology. All four locomotives are scheduled to be in service by the end of 2026.
A separate project using Ballard technology has already converted another US shunting locomotive to hydrogen traction for operators CSX Transportation and CKPC.
>> In Other News: Verra Releases New Module for Carbon Capture and Storage
Subscribe to the newsletter
Daily decarbonization data and news delivered to your inbox
Follow the money flow of climate, technology, and energy investments to uncover new opportunities and jobs.
Latest issues
-
400 Tons of Hydrogen Daily to Power Data Centers
Inside This Issue ⚡ HDF Energy Selects Topsoe for 250 MW Power Plant in Texas 🍁 Deep Conduit Signature Identified Near Lawson 4 Expands Commercial Potential of Canada’s First Subsurface Natural Hy...
-
Why Meta Wants 200,000 Tons of Cement Credits
Inside This Issue 🤝 Fortera and Meta Sign Multi-Year Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAC) Purchase Agreement for Low Carbon Cement ✈️ Massachusetts Marks 1st Barge Delivery of SAF to Boston L...
-
The $450M Offtake Deal Behind Emvolon’s $22M Raise
Inside This Issue 🏗️ Emvolon Raises $22 Million Funding Round to Launch Its Modular, Waste-to-fuel Chemical Plants 🔋 Terraton Turns Kenyan Nut Shells into Carbon Credits ⚡ Ballard Launches HPU Agi...
Company Announcements
-
Summary of Transaction: Minority shareholders of Tidewater Renewables will receive 0.88 common shares of Tidewater Midstream for each common share of Tidewater Renewables held Supported by holder...
-
HDF Energy Selects Topsoe for 250 MW Power Plant in Texas
HDF Energy's BaseBlue Power™ plant solution will use Topsoe's SynCOR™ technology to produce hydrogen from natural gas, capture CO ? and power fuel cells to deliver firm, low-carbon electricity to d...
-
Independent laboratory results advance first commercial waste-to-methanol module toward Portugal deployment November 02, 2026 08:00 ET | Source: HyOrc Corporation HOUSTON, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NE...
-
Confirmation of the Lawson Conduit and newly interpreted four-way structural closure near Lawson 4, combined with reprocessing of proprietary 3D seismic data through integration of rich new dataset...