Maxwell Technologies Inc. recently announced its ultracapacitors are used for regenerative braking energy storage in the Beijing subway system. As part of the strategic partnership with China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation Maxwell announced last year, the companies continue to collaborate to develop next-generation capacitive energy storage solutions for the China rail market.
The installation with the Beijing subway system is the first commercial subway wayside project for CRRC-SRI and Maxwell in China. CRRC-SRI will leverage Maxwell's 48-volt modules in two sets of regenerative braking energy storage devices for the system's No. 8 line, an urban rail network that runs north-south through China's capital, one of the most populous cities in the world. The devices fulfill China rail requirements for energy savings and environmental protection, creating an ideal opportunity for ultracapacitor application.
"Ultracapacitor energy storage solutions are critical to meet the needs of the growing China rail market, and Maxwell Technologies leads the world in development of this technology," said Liu Baoming, chairman of CRRC-SRI. "As Beijing evaluated solutions to support its goal of creating an environmentally friendly, energy-saving urban rail transport system, our relationship with the industry leader Maxwell Technologies was instrumental in first securing this deal and now implementing the system. Working together, we expect to bring more solutions to market as China strives for improved rail efficiencies and reduced carbon emissions."
Maxwell ultracapacitors deliver high-power energy density performance, even under extreme temperatures. With long operational lifetimes and rapid charge/discharge capabilities, the modules are ideally suited for rail transportation applications. The Beijing subway system implementation is among many global transportation applications relying on Maxwell technology, including rapid braking, energy recuperation and power delivery for rail, as well as start-stop applications for automobiles and hybrid buses.
"Modernizing rail systems and helping to make them more efficient through the addition of ultracapacitor-based regenerative braking solutions represents a significant opportunity for Maxwell in China," said Dr. Franz Fink, president and CEO of Maxwell Technologies. "The Beijing subway system deployment will be the first outcome of our collaboration with CRRC-SRI, and we'll continue working closely to co-develop energy storage solutions for this expanding market."
