Germany unveils first hydrogen-powered train

CNN : In December 2017, a hydrogen-powered train will begin transporting passengers along a 96 km route in northern Germany. The train is produced by the French company Alstom. Four German states have signed an agreement with the company to purchase up to 60 additional trains if the initial train, called the Coradia iLint, is successful. The train was unveiled by Alstom earlier this year as a replacement for diesel trains that run along nonelectric rail lines throughout Europe. The two-car train, which carries up to 300 passengers, runs silently and is powered by batteries that are charged from the combination of hydrogen, which is stored in fuel cells, and oxygen, which is obtained from the air around the train. Its tank holds 94 kg of hydrogen, enough to power the train over 800 km, or for about a day. The train is much slower than many of Europe’s high-speed electric trains but is intended as a replacement for the shorter and slower sections of the European rail network.