Convenient, economical, and environmentally responsible transportation is an ever-present problem in the world. However, in one of the busiest transport hubs like Germany, technology is accelerating to get past the environmental damage that decades of inefficient transportation has caused.
To that end, the world's first zero-emission train is set to run next year. It will be on the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in Lower Saxony, and it comes after just two years of development from French company Alstom.
It's known as the "Coradia iLint," and it was presented on Tuesday at the Berlin InnoTrans trade show.
The electric train works by harnessing energy from a hydrogen fuel tank on its roof, which powers a fuel cell. In contrast to diesel engine models, which the city currently uses, the hydrail offers a quieter ride, and vents out only water. Hydrogen fuel cells have been used in cars, but was not met with much approval due to very few available refilling sites. For the Coradia, refills at each station make the method practical.
The hydrail can accommodate 300 passengers, can travel up to 800 km (497 miles), cruising at a reasonably fast 140 km/h (87 mph).
Most scientific organizations and communities have come to a consensus that the Earth is, indeed, undergoing a change in climate. And perhaps most importantly, science shows that humans are causing it. Innovations like this are, slowly but surely, helping us fix the problems that we caused
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