Parallel Systems
Assembly Line
Parallel Systems Tests Railcar ‘Platooning’ in California
The individually powered railcars are designed to transport standard shipping containers as a single or double-stacked load in short-haul freight operations, and can form “platoons” of up to 50 cars, according to Parallel Systems. “The fully automated platooning process eliminates the requirement for railcars to couple to each other and connect air brake lines,” the company explained. “Upon contact, each vehicle maintains bumper contact with the one in front by controlling tractive effort. The small air gap between containers and the pushing action through railcar bumpers reduces average aerodynamic drag of the platoon, ultimately improving energy efficiency. Individual railcars can also separate from one another, enabling them to bypass rail classification yards and independently proceed to varied destinations, or to keep railroad crossings clear. Brake systems are self-contained in each railcar and therefore do not require connecting air lines.”
Autonomous battery-powered rail cars could steal shipments from truckers
Parallel Systems has emerged from stealth mode with a prototype vehicle that promises to bring advances in autonomy and battery technology to the relatively staid world of freight railroads. In the process, they hope to not just electrify existing routes but also bring freight rail service to places that don’t have it today.
Whether their bet pays off will hinge on whether freight railroads and their customers will buy into a new way of operating. Parallel Systems isn’t just taking an existing freight train and swapping its diesel-electric locomotive for a battery version. Instead, it’s taking the traction motors and distributing them to every car on the train. It’s how many electric passenger trains operate, but it’s a system that has been slow to migrate to the freight world.