ECOTRANS

This project seeks to develop a new generation of vehicles and urban transport systems equipped with environmentally friendly, sustainable technologies. The project has two main goals: firstly, to reduce the visual impact of urban transport systems by eliminating overhead power lines, and, secondly, to reduce environmental impact through minimising energy consumption and emissions. The project intends to achieve these goals through developing hydrogen and fuel cells and systems that combine energy recovery, storage and greater propulsion efficiency to remove overhead power lines from urban systems.

The consortium is therefore working on new traction chains, with hybrid energy storage systems that will enable fast power charging at stops and new reversible substations that will optimise power from braking.

Quiet wheels, new cooling fluids, enhanced acoustic insulation and vibration damping systems and more efficient air conditioning and passenger information systems are also on the agenda at Ecotrans.

The project also seeks to improve operating system efficiency and safety, to develop new systems for detecting signals, crossings and track obstacles and new operating support systems, such as energy management, driving efficiency and traffic management, as well as remote vehicle diagnostics using AI.