The first hydrogen fuelcell rail vehicle was a four-ton underground mining locomotive, completed by Vehicle Projects LLC in 2002 in a project funded jointly by the governments of the United States and Canada and by private industry. It was demonstrated in a working gold mine alongside conventional battery locomotives and was superior in virtually every measure of performance.

A North American consortium is presently developing a fuelcell-hybrid switch (shunt) locomotive (see figure) for urban and military-base rail applications. The project is intended to lead to commercial locomotives that will: (1) reduce air pollution in urban railyards, including seaports, (2) increase energy security of the rail transport system, (3) reduce atmospheric greenhouse-gas emissions, and (4) serve as a mobile backup power source (“power-to-grid”) for critical infrastructure. At 127 tonne, continuous net power of approximately 250 kW from its fuelcell powerplant, and transient net power well in excess of 1 MW, the hybrid locomotive will be the heaviest and most powerful fuelcell land vehicle yet. The schedule for this fast-paced project calls for completion of the vehicle itself in the summer of 2008.

A future concept vehicle utilizing hydrogen fuelcells and capable of operating at high speeds will be presented. The proposed transport vehicle, a cross between a train and airplane, operates in a tube and is levitated on a gas film. Study of the vehicle’s feasibility is based on mathematical analysis of aerodynamics, and a working model has been built to demonstrate the principal features of the technology.