Indian cities are among the most polluted in the world. The transportation sector is one of the major sources of gaseous pollutants. In recent years, also the effects of climate change and global warming have been felt across the globe. India has therefore committed at the CoP26 summit in 2021 to reduce its CO2 emissions by 45% till the year 2030. The Indian automotive sector is already addressing the problem with implementation of the Stage 2 BS VI norms, CAFÉ & Stage V standards and pursuing rapid electrification with application of zero emission vehicles.
India also has the largest rail network of Asia, and a significant proportion of greenhouse gases is emitted by this sector. Deployment of zero emission fuel cell trains would be one of the solutions to meet India’s emission reduction targets. Indian Railways has already started its journey towards zero emissions and has set a target to launch hydrogen fuel cell trains on some routes soon as part of the “Hydrogen for Heritage” initiative.
In this study, the application of fuel cell technology in an Indian metro train is investigated. The dimensioning of the major powertrain components like the fuel cell system, HV battery pack, and the hydrogen storage system for the fuel cell train are presented. Also, a retrofit approach will be developed, which includes a packaging study of the major powertrain components in the engine and passenger coaches of the existing train. System simulations with validated models allow an assessment of the system weight and costs for the new fuel cell metro train.