China’s first hydrogen-powered intelligent intercity high-speed train named CINOVA H2, independently developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd., was recently unveiled in the InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin, Germany, marking a new milestone in China’s hydrogen-powered rail transit technology.

Provided with hydrogen fuel cells which use electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to generate electric energy, the train is characterized by zero carbon emission all the way and outperforms its international peers in such key performance indicators as running speed, seating capacity and endurance range, thus injecting utterly new impetus to the green transformation of non-electrified railway passenger transport vehicles. Composed of four carriages in a group, the train is equipped with high-power hydrogen fuel cells of up to 960KW, which provide an enormous source of power and enable the maximum speed to reach 200 km/h. It boasts the longest endurance range in the world, which can amount to 1,200 km and 2,000 km when the speed is 160 and 120 km/h, respectively. Refueling of hydrogen at full capacity is fast and consumes only 15 minutes.

Developing hydrogen energy is a top priority in the green transformation of rail transit equipment. CRRC Qingdao Sifang has tackled key technological problems such as integrated design for assembly, hydrogen-electric hybrid power energy control under all operating modes, and full-life-cycle safety management, and managed to apply hydrogen energy to intercity high-speed trains.  (Liu Lanxing)

The “Qingdao-made” China’s first hydrogen-powered intelligent intercity high-speed train CINOVA H2 is officially launched in the Inno Trans 2024 in Berlin, Germany.