Great Western Railway’s fully-electric train breaks UK record, paving way for cleaner travel
Entering its trial third year to study the feasibility of battery-electric rail, UK’s Great Western Railway (GWR) has hit an encouraging milestone, traveling further in the region than any battery-electric train before it. Its latest treks surpassed expectations and offered further confidence toward a more sustainable future in train travel.
Great Western Railway is a British mainstay in train travel. It was founded in 1833 and is credited with linking London to other regions of England and Wales. Providing aid through two World Wars, GWR has experienced direct government control, been nationalized, and expanded before going private again to provide UK residents and visitors with passenger train travel.
GWR began exploring more sustainable options to stay innovative and help the UK Government and railway industry’s target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. In February 2022, the UK railways signed a deal with Vivarail to trail a new FastCharge technology that could one day enable battery-powered electric trains across its network.
GWR purchased the intellectual property pertaining to FastCharge, implementing charging rails and line-side battery banks ahead of electric train trials. This month, Great Western Railway achieved its longest battery-electric journey on a single charge, claiming a UK record.
GWR’s FastCharge electric train trial finds success
Earlier this month, GWR’s first electric train traveled 138km (86 miles) without recharging, besting the previous UK record held by a Stadler Class 777 under test conditions in 2022, which spanned 135km (84 miles). GWR Engineering Director Dr. Simon Green spoke about the milestone:
We were delighted by how the battery train performed today and during its series of test runs. In fact, it’s fair to say it has surpassed the expectations of our team of engineers. Achieving these distances gives us great confidence as we press forward with this industry-leading FastCharge technology.
It’s also worth noting that in reaching the 86 miles on Wednesday, the train was operating in a real-world environment at speeds of up to 60mph, stopping and starting over a hilly route, with elevation changes of up to 200m.
Not to be outdone, GWR followed up with a second journey in the battery-electric Class 230 train, completing a 70-mile trek from Long Marston to the Reading Train Care Depot while using only 45% of its total capacity. Based on those numbers during the trial, GWR engineers on the train said it could have traveled over 120 miles before recharging.
Looking ahead, the electric train will undergo compatibility testing in the UK and research into its preparedness and servicing requirements required for fully integrated rail travel on GWR’s network.
This spring, the railways says it will trial the battery-electric train in a real-world environment, using its acquired FastCharge technology to replenish for a mere 3.5 minutes before continuing its route on the Greenford line. Meanwhile, GWR says it continues to carry out simulations ahead of larger-scale rollouts, reducing its CO2 emissions by over 1,700 tons annually.
Following its successful trials to date, GWR relayed confidence its electric train technology can one day be expanded to operations across the UK’s 80+ lines of railways spanning roughly 2,000 miles. Here’s a video of the Class 230 electric train in action:
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Florida’s State Parks are stepping up their environmental and operational game, introducing a large fleet of powerful electric bikes to support park ranger patrols.
The Florida State Parks Foundation, under its sustainability-focused Greener Initiative, recently announced the expansion of e‑bike units across the state’s parks system. The fleet of Velotric Nomad e-bikes, each equipped with 750‑watt motors and with a claimed 65‑mile range, can offer a substantial 500‑lb payload capacity. They also feature 4″ wide fat tires optimized for riding on rough paths or off-road trails, making them ideal for park ranger patrols.
These e‑bikes are now being distributed to multiple locations throughout Florida, including Fort Clinch, Olustee Battlefield Historic, Rainbow Springs, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, and Suwannee River State Park.
According to Julia Gill Woodward, CEO of the Foundation, the overwhelming success of the first wave of e‑bikes prompted swift expansion. “The Greener Initiative has done incredible things to reduce our environmental footprint,” she noted, adding that it’s “even more amazing when Greener projects align with resources that support our rangers.”
These additions bring the statewide fleet to 50 e‑bikes, funded via sales from the “Explore Our State Parks” specialty license plate. Starting in 2023, the Greener Initiative has rolled out a variety of efforts to make Florida’s parks cleaner and more efficient, including slashing emissions, cutting down on waste, lowering energy consumption, and enhancing the overall experience for visitors.
Electrek’s Take
I love this, and it’s a great example of how e-bikes are perfect for so many different patrol uses among park rangers, police officers, security companies, and other types of official fleet usage.
We’re seeing this more and more, and the reason is obvious: It works. E-bikes are a lot cheaper than alternatives like UTVs, golf carts, or “real” vehicles like cars and trucks. They require significantly less maintenance, and they’re a lot more fun too.
I just hope they mount some extra water bottle holders. I often ride in Florida, and in the summer, I can drink a gallon a day… on an electric bike!
Via: WCJB
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Lucid’s most adventurous vehicle has just arrived. The Lucid Gravity can drive 450 miles on a single charge, comfortably fits seven, and is faster than the average sports car. Lucid promises the new X concept takes the electric family hauler to a new level.
Meet the Lucid Gravity X adventure-ready EV SUV
Lucid has been hyping the new model as “a bold new concept of electric exploration,” describing it as its most adventurous vehicle to date.
At Monterey Car Week on Friday, we finally got our first look at Lucid’s stunning new Gravity X concept. Based on the Lucid Gravity Grand Touring, which features an impressive up to 450 miles of EPA-estimated range, AWD, and a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.4 secs, the X is designed to take you even further.
As Lucid put it, the X “advances this exceptional foundation, exploring what it would be like to push the limits further.
The concept features a new look, lifted ride height, and added off-road elements for all on and off-road adventures. Lucid fine-tuned the front and rear ends to improve approach and departure angles. It also slapped all-terrain tires, protective skid plates, and tow hooks on it, just in case.
Like we first saw in the teaser, the X concept is equipped with an integrated crossbar with LED lights and a roof box.
Lucid says every detail on the new concept was intentional, from the Astral Drift satin paint to the topographical references to Big Spur and Death Valley on the hood.
The interior features upgrades, including premium leather seats, high-performance floor mats, and a microsuede steering wheel.
According to Lucid, the Gravity X, pronounced Gravity Cross, is “ready to go anywhere. Take on everything. And compromise nothing.”
Although it’s just a concept for now, the X gives us a glimpse into a future off-road Gravity trim. As we mentioned earlier this week, Lucid could be preparing to introduce a rugged new variant to compete with Rivian’s California Dune Edition R1S and R1T models.
What do you think of the rugged Gravity X Concept? Should Lucid bring it to life? It wouldn’t be surprising to see a new variant hit the market soon.
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Heybike, the Priority Skyline launch, Segway’s new 50 MPH electric scooter, a Bafang hub motor with automatic shifting, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:00 a.m. ET):
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