Deutsche Bahn Energie
Transport and logisticsTübingen, Germany2024
Deutsche Bahn Energie has launched an innovative project in Tübingen: to run hydrogen trains on renewable hydrogen, produced by a Lhyfebox and stored in a station before powering the trains.
The context
Lhyfe supports Deutsche Bahn in reaching its objective of carbon neutrality by 2040 by delivering renewable hydrogen as part of the H2goesrail project.
Germany’s largest railway operator is working on several projects to achieve this goal, including the H2goesrail research project. This project tests the transition from a regional diesel train to hydrogen. DB AG, DB Regio, and DB Energie are testing not only the operation of these new hydrogen trains (supplied by Siemens Mobility) but also the complete system that will make it possible to operate the train: from the charging station to maintenance.
Testing will begin in 2024 in southern Germany between Tübingen, Horb, and Pforzheim.
Switching from diesel to hydrogen trains
Lhyfe produces renewable hydrogen in Tübingen thanks to its Lhyfe Box, supplied with renewable electricity by DB Energie. Lhyfe proposed to start these tests with the Lhyfe Box: hydrogen production in a container. The Lhyfe Box makes it possible to start using hydrogen faster: no supply, simplified connection, etc.
In Tübingen, 190kg of hydrogen per day will be produced to supply the hydrogen train.
The setup in Tübingen enables DB Energie to cover and test a complete and sustainable supply chain. From the use of renewable energies to generate green hydrogen over high-pressure storage to the final usage as fuel including the fast refueling process through our innovative train filling station.
With our work, we are developing solutions to the question of how our society can deal with the increasing demand for renewable energy in the energy and transport sectors. Different storage technologies are required for greater interconnection.
In this way, we can use the surplus energy in the form of hydrogen, to contribute to CO2-free rail transport.
Lennart Fink, Project Manager H2goesRail, DB Energie
30 tons
of hydrogen produced per year in Tübingen
120.000 km
driven with green hydrogen during test period
330 tons
CO2 emissions saved compared to a diesel train
What made the difference ?
The Lhyfe box ! Ideal to start at small scale, in a test and learn approach
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