CAF Power & Automation has been awarded with a new international project for a catenary-free tram. The Company will supply the POWER DC 750V, COSMOS traction equipment and the FREEDRIVE energy storage system (ESS) for 6 URBOS tram units in the Australian city of Newcastle.
Transport for New South Wales and CAF signed an agreement last year for the delivery of the 6 URBOS units, which will add to the catenary-free trams that operate around the globe equipped with CAF Power & Automation's energy storage systems.
This is CAF Power's third contract in Australia, with previous contracts won in 2016 for the supply of POWER DC 750 V and COSMOS control equipment for the 14 URBOS trams in Canberra, in addition to 12 URBOS trams in Sydney in 2013.
FREEDRIVE, One-Of-A-Kind in Australia
The strategic significance of this project lays in the uniqueness of this vehicle on the Australian continent, being the only one fitted with the energy accumulation FREEDRIVE technology.
Our FREEDRIVE catenary-free operation system will provide the City of Newcastle with a reliable and comfortable means of transport that will in addition preserve the city's current architecture.
The Newcastle tram will run along a 2.7km route with 6 stops - from Wickman to Pacific Park - a new means of urban transport which is a constituent part of the general regeneration plan for the metropolitan area.
Energy Optimisation Systems: GREENTECH
Amid increasingly populated environments and growing pollution indices, today's cities require less pollution with more environmentally-friendly and less invasive transport systems. Since its foundation, CAF Power & Automation has worked on on-board energy storage equipment to provide a solution to these current issues in cities.
GREENTECH is the family of energy storage systems developed by CAF Power & Automation which has been implemented on trams already since 2010. The GREENTECH energy optimisation systems make use of state-of-the-art technology based on high-density Li-Ion batteries and high-powered ultra capacitors, or a combination of both, to achieve the energy and power rates required by trams.
GREENTECH Around the World
CAF Power & Automation has equipped GREENTECH technology on over 150 URBOS trams worldwide.
Millions of people in cities such as Sevilla, Zaragoza, Tallinn, Luxembourg or Kaohsiung currently enjoy the benefits of this cutting-edge technology in their daily commute.
The last train born from the GREENTECH family will operate in the city of Birmingham, and is currently undergoing track tests.