Expert opinion on battery hybrid vehicle transport in the Free State of Bavaria

About the project

To meet climate protection targets, EU and federal law mandate a transition to climate-neutral propulsion systems. The Free State of Bavaria has committed itself to contributing to the reduction of CO² emissions in order to achieve the agreed climate targets. However, the shift to climate-friendly mobility also requires a transition to post-fossil fuel propulsion systems. In Bavarian public transport (SPNV), the switch to emission-free drives has been strategically set for completion by the ned of 2040.

Consequently, the Bavarian Railway Company (Bayrische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH, BEG) decided to investigate the technical prerequisites for stable, punctual and disruption-free passenger services with battery hybrid vehicles in the regions of Swabia and western Upper Bavaria. An expert opinion was required to determine the necessary infrastructure measures and evaluated them in terms of costs, feasibility and time requirments. Enotrac was engaged for this task.

In addition the Bavarian Railway Company (Bayrische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH) as the client, DB Netz AG, DB Energie GmbH and SMA und Partner AG were also significantly involved.

Our contribution

Enotrac was commissioned by the Bavarian Railway Company (Bayrische Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH, BEG) to conduct an expert opinion on the technical prerequisites for the deployment of battery hybrid vehicles in the regions of Swabia and western Upper Bavaria. The objective was to identify the necessary infrastructure measures that would enable stable, punctual, and uninterrupted passenger operations with battery-electric multiple units (BEMUs).

Initially, Enotrac’s experts conducted a situation analysis to determine the energy and power requirements on the lines to be evaluated, regardless of their current level of electrification. Based on this, Enotrac developed potential feeding concepts for the entire study area, considering the following measures:

•     Construction of charging substations and overhead line island systems (OLIA)
• Installation of new overhead line systems (additional track electrification)
• Establishment of new railway power supply facilities

In the second step, the designed feeding concepts were tested and refined through network and train operation simulations using the simulation software Fabel. Enotrac created a detailed simulation model with all track relations in the study area. For the simulation calculations, the timetable valid from the end of 2032 and three manufacturer-neutral battery hybrid vehicles were modelled.

From the simulations, the best variant for stable and robust battery-electric traffic (BEMU traffic) was derived. This allowed for the determination of the necessary degree of electrification and the required railway power installations.

For this best variant, the associated costs and the necessary time for planning and implementation were finally determined, resulting in a general assessment of feasibility.

Download the study here