Saft has been awarded a contract by Chinese train manufacturer CRRC Nanjing Puzhen to supply the onboard battery systems for the new metro trains being built for the Changzhou Rail Transit Line 1 project. The battery systems, based on Saft’s MSX nickel-technology cells, will provide emergency backup power to support critical control, safety and passenger comfort functions should the main power supply be interrupted. The high-power batteries can also deliver enough traction power to enable the metro train to travel up to two kilometers without an external electricity supply, for example to enable a stranded vehicle to complete its journey to the next station or rescue point where passengers can be evacuated safely.
“This latest major contract in China further consolidates Saft as the battery supplier of choice for metro projects where performance, reliability and long-life are critical” said Pierre-André Nutte, Sales Director for Rail in Asia at Saft. “It also illustrates an interesting new development with a growing number of operators using the high-power capability of our batteries to provide traction power over short distances in addition to their regular backup functions. Furthermore, this project means that Saft is serving the last major city along the famous and well-developed economic corridor served by the ‘Shanghai-Nanjing railway line’. So far, we have delivered batteries to eight metro lines in Nanjing city, 13 metro lines in Shanghai city, two metro lines in Wuxi city and one tram line in Suzhou city.”
Scheduled to open in 2019, the 34 kilometer-Changzhou Metro Line 1 is the city’s first mass transit system and will carry up to 950,000 passengers a day at speeds of up to 80 km/h, running north–south across the eastern China city. The Changzhou metro will have six lines with a total length of about 208 kilometers by 2030, and is designed to create a safe, efficient and modern urban rail transit service for the city’s 4.5 million inhabitants. In addition to the metro, Changzhou is also planning a tram system.
The Changzhou Metro Line 1 will be equipped with an advanced rail control system that will enable semi-automatic train operation on the line. The solution uses wireless high-speed data communication between the train, track equipment and central traffic control to continuously monitor the position of a train. It automatically supervises train speeds to optimize passenger journeys and line capacity by safely reducing the distance between trains. The Changzhou metro has been designed in consultation with the operator of the Shanghai metro that Saft has been working with for emergency rescue functions over the past seven years, with traction batteries already delivered to its eight lines.
Under the contract, Saft will supply 72 sets of its 84MSX180 battery systems, with deliveries scheduled until July 2019. Changzhou Metro and CRRC Nanjing Puzhen chose the Saft MSX range to meet the need for a high-power, reliable but lightweight and compact battery system. The MSX range is up to 40 percent smaller and 30 percent lighter than other nickel-based batteries, while offering high-power performance, minimal maintenance, exceptional reliability and low lifetime cost.
Saft’s MSX cells are designed and manufactured in Saft’s Bordeaux factory in France, the batteries are assembled in Saft’s Zhuhai factory in China.
Filed Under: Rapid prototyping
