Stadler has officially presented the new Flirt Akku train, the battery-operated version of the Flirt type series, equipped with a battery drive.
Designed for use on non-electrified or partly-electrified routes, the prototype reaches a current range of 80 km at a driving speed of up to 140 km/h in pure battery mode. The batteries can be charged with energy generated during braking. While the traction equipment and the most important mechanical components have largely been retained, the entire powertrain was rebuilt and equipped with a battery drive.
The prototype of the new battery-operated Flirt completed the route from the Stadler grounds in Berlin-Pankow to Schildow in Brandenburg without an external power supply. 80 percent of the non-electrified routes in Germany can be operated with this vehicle. It is possible to charge the batteries during operations under the overhead line and also at non-electrified end stops.
The Flirt Akku was developed in-house at Stadler and received EUR 2 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.
The three-part test carrier offers space for 310 passengers, including 154 seats. The prototype is approved for passenger traffic and will be operating on selected routes as of 2019.
Stadler sees market opportunities for the Flirt Akku in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy and other countries with a significant amount of non-electrified routes.
For Stadler, this train is a “huge step in the field of alternative drives and meets growing demands for so-called green technology.”
The Flirt Akku is a full-fledged Flirt which combines proven components of a model that has been homologated over 1000 times with an innovative drive concept.
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