Hybrid electric tram fuels green efforts

The world's first hybrid electric tram, powered by hydrogen and super-capacitor technology, started operations on Thursday in Tangshan, Hebei province.[Provided to China Daily]

A hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen and supercapacitor technology was put into operation on Thursday in Tangshan, North China's Hebei province, marking a big step in the application of green and new energy in public transport.

It is the world's first hybrid electric tram with hydrogen as the main power source, according to China Railway Rolling Corp Tangshan Co, which created the tram.

"Only water will be emitted from the tram, thus it is totally environmentally friendly," said Li Ming, manager of the company's technology department.

It is different from common electric vehicles as these are mostly powered by lithium batteries, which emit pollutants during energy production.

Currently, hydrogen costs not much higher than gasoline, so it can be widely used in the future, Li said.

The super-capacitor can provide a strong electric current when starting the tram, which is mainly used to ensure quick starts and stops at stations. The tram operates on a 136-year-old railway line in Tangshan.

With the ability to produce about 50 such trams each year, CRRC Tangshan is introducing the vehicle to other cities, including Quanzhou in Fujian province, Taizhou in Zhejiang province, Tianjin, and Toronto in Canada.

According to Li, the tram has three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40 kilometers with a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour, and can be refueled with 12 kilograms of hydrogen in 15 minutes.