Australian-based green mining company Fortescue has pulled off a feat that sounds almost impossible. Its electric "Infinity Train" ran nearly 685 miles without needing a single refuel or charge, reported Electrek.
That's because the train, which the company conceptualized in 2022, uses regenerative braking to recharge its batteries, and it works so well on downhill stretches that the company says it can fully recharge its batteries on many such trips, Electrek detailed. According to J.D. Power, regenerative braking "captures the kinetic energy produced by a car when it slows down or comes to a stop. It is then converted into electrical energy and stored in a battery or capacitor for later use."
Electrek pointed out that this requires downhill runs, so the tech isn't exactly a perpetual motion machine, but the way Fortescue describes it, it sounds as though full loops that involve uphill and downhill travel could be completed without stopping to recharge, or at least it would rarely require significant recharging.
Said Electrek: "The Fortescue Infinity Train uses the energy produced by slowing the loaded train on downhill sections of the company's 385-mile private, heavy-haul rail network to recharge its battery systems. That energy is enough to bring the unloaded train back to the mine, eliminating the need for external charging infrastructure or additional renewable energy sources, making the train almost entirely self-sufficient."
Because it's battery-electric, the train doesn't burn any physical fuel or need oil changes, which can save a lot of time and money on typical maintenance. Plus, regenerative braking recaptures energy instead of relying solely on friction, so the train's braking components can last longer, and a recent EV study said that regenerative braking leads to less brake dust pollution as well.
It's too soon to say if that applies to this train, but it assuredly benefits the environment in other ways. According to Fortescue, the train will help save more than 21 million gallons of diesel fuel, Electrek reported. That's the equivalent of taking hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles — and their polluting emissions — off the road.
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Of course, some may still be skeptical about the pollution created during electric vehicle battery manufacturing, which requires intensive element mining. This is a valid concern for the Infinity Train, which requires a battery to operate.
However, the roughly 7 million tons of minerals needed annually for this purpose is much lower than the estimated 16.5 billion tons of dirty fuels taken from the Earth each year, and once mined, that battery's materials can be put to use for many years and then recycled instead of being burned into the air.
When those dirty fuels get burned, they lead to pollution and overheating, and aren't reusable the same way minerals are.
"What a great use of imagination and engineering!" exclaimed an Electrek commenter.
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Sign me up 👍 Another commented, "The decarbonization of the EV supply chain is proceeding faster than I anticipated. Well done!"
On a much smaller and personal scale, swapping to an EV can make a similar impact. When you drive electric, you cut tailpipe emissions entirely and reduce long-term costs compared to gas-powered vehicles. As charging networks expand to make EVs more accessible, making the switch is becoming an easier choice for many.
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