LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In Michigan’s latest step towards EV technology growth, the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification has awarded $200,000 to Intramotev, a company developing autonomous zero-emission rail solutions.
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The grant will be used towards the development of three TugVolt self-propelled rail cars at a mining site in the Upper Peninsula according to the American Journal of Transportation (AJOT).
“The U.S.’s rail lines represent one the country’s original foundations of mobility and prosperity, and now we have an opportunity to future-proof these lines, starting in Michigan,” said Kathryn Snorrason, Interim Chief Mobility Officer for the State of Michigan. “We look forward to supporting Intramotev’s deployment of its innovative railcars, which will not only serve to further expand Michigan’s growing EV ecosystem, but will help revolutionize our supply chains and create a more sustainable mobility future.”
This development is set to be the forerunner in freight rail operation as the world’s first self-propelled, battery-electric railcars for commercial use according to AJOT.
“Through this project, Michigan is setting the stage to revolutionize transportation again through the first implementations of battery electric self-propelled railcars,” Timothy Luchini, Chief Executive Officer of Intramotev said in a statement. “When scaled more broadly, our technology will help foster a cleaner, less congested and safer world – and it will have been deployed first in Michigan.”
Intramotev will utilize three TugVolt battery electric railcars to support a new railway that will carry one six-car train of ore per hour according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
“This change is estimated to eliminate up to 55,000 gallons of diesel consumption and 617 tons of vehicle-level CO2 emissions,” the MEDC said in a statement, “The deployment will also save the mining partner a significant amount of operating expenses and help keep their workers safe.”
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Intramotev includes numerous products including the TugVolt, ReVolt, and other automated safety systems.
“TugVolt and ReVolt both kep standard railcar components for traditional train integration,” Intromotev said about the products, “TugVolt can decouple to independently service first and last mile legs, while ReVolt stays in the consistent consist to capture energy via regenerative braking and reduce locomotives’ diesel consumption.”
The Saint Louis, Missouri-based company was founded in 2020.
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