Reduced Emissions
Motive Zero fitted various elements of the Combined Technologies to a 1960s era Class 20 during a comprehensive test cycle. The end result was a reduction in NOx & Hydrocarbons of 95% and a drop in Carbon Monoxide & Carbon Dioxide of 65% making it the most cost-effective way to deliver significant emissions to existing equipment and rolling stock. The locomotive also delivered a 7% increase in power with no other modifications.
For an even more significant reduction in emissions, Motive Zero offers a complete drop-in replacement hybrid electric powertrain package. A high capacity 300kWh battery pack coupled to a small 6.8 litre diesel range extender engine, with the addition of the full Combined Technologies makes the package one of the lowest emissions outputs of almost any hybrid and straight diesel propulsion system.
Finance Fuel Saving
Our technology reduces emissions by improving the combustion process. Making the fuel burn better delivers less emissions. The larger and older the engine the greater the potential impact upon emissions and fuel savings. Burning the fuel more efficiently releases more energy for a given fuel quantity.
This delivers the same amount of power whilst offering a significant fuel saving. Adding the Combined Technologies has been demonstrated to reduce fuel usage by 15% to 25%, depending on the engine configuration. The complete hybrid electric powertrain offers even greater savings, somewhere in the region of 40% to 60% depending on the power requirements of the vehicle in question. Estimates from British Steel suggest a fuel saving of around a third from their ten locomotives across the three shifts a day.
Lower Maintenance Cost
The majority of long-term maintenance costs relate to ageing powertrains rather than core vehicle systems. The Combined Technologies naturally remove carbon build up for older engines and stop new carbon from building up. With engine servicing and rebuild costs coming in at well over one hundred thousand pounds for many high capacity systems, assuming the parts are even still available, there are more than just fuel economy benefits from installing our hybrid electric powertrains.
Rather than battle to secure expensive and scarce resources to rebuild a 1950s era diesel engine, especially one of up to two hundred litres capacity, installing a twenty-first century battery pack with a small capacity diesel range extender engine, often just 6.8 litres or smaller, offers s significant reduction in maintenance costs, even to the point where it is cheaper to replace the range extender engine than to service the original.
The rapid Return on Investment (ROI) isn’t purely about fuel savings but about comprehensive savings across the board throughout the vehicle life.
Prolong Life
Some older locomotives are already consigned to the scrap yard or a life as a rolling source of spares to keep other locomotives running. Others face the same fate as they reach the end of their profitable life due to prohibitive engine rebuild and locomotive refurbishment costs. Our technology can give many vehicles another twenty to thirty years of productive, and profitable, life. We can take vehicles side-lined through a lack of engine spares, etc. and deliver an affordable drop-in modern powertrain that can immediately put the locomotive back in to revenue generating action.
Corporate Responsibility
A new trend has emerged where the move to low emission vehicles has not been because the operator is seeking fuel savings or the benefits of low emission vehicles, they are simply instructed to do so as part of their delivery contract with big name suppliers. Many manufacturers and resellers have pledged to clean up their act and cutting emissions from their transportation can go a long way to reducing their overall carbon footprint of their brands.
Quieter and Cleaner
One of the most obvious improvements to the user experience of any conversion is the loss of the deep rumble and uncompromising noise from the small capacity diesel engine. This incessant noise is deeply intrusive whether under load or sitting idle for long periods of time. The replacement hybrid electric powertrain is largely silent except for occasional range extender engine charging the battery system. The only noise, at idle or at low speeds, is from the original compressors and ancillary systems and even these can be replaced with near silent modern equivalents. At higher speeds the only noticeable noise is from the wheels passing over joints in the rails.
With no clouds of black smoke, particularly on start-up, the whole hybrid experience is one of quiet efficiency. No disturbing the neighbours as vehicles of up to, and over, one hundred tons pull loads of anything from five hundred to two thousand five hundred tons around freight yards or over long distance mainline journeys.
