(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/05/amtrak-cities-sprinter.jpg) (http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/14/amtrak-to-roll-out-high-efficiency-trains/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget)
Some of us look at electric trains as efficient transportation almost by definition, but that's not entirely true when they consume a lot of power and give little back. Amtrak (http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/29/amtrak-begins-testing-e-ticketing-system-other-futuristic-thing/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget) is about to strike a better balance now that it's close to receiving the first of 70 high-efficiency Siemens ACS-64 trains destined for routes across DC, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. Each engine centers on a regenerative braking (http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/01/land-rover-ev-prototypes/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget) system that can recover up to 5MW of energy, much of which goes back to the power grid. The machinery is smarter, too: it can self-diagnose problems and mitigate the impact until repairs are possible. Commuters won't immediately notice the difference when ACS-64 trains reach the rails between this fall and 2016, but there should be important behind-the-scenes savings. Amtrak reckons that the new vehicles could lower energy consumption by 3 billion kilowatts in the long run, which might help both the company's bottom line and local utilities.
Filed under: Transportation (http://www.engadget.com/category/transportation/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget)
Comments (http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/14/amtrak-to-roll-out-high-efficiency-trains/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments)
Via: Inhabitat (http://inhabitat.com/amtrak-unveils-newest-high-efficiency-electric-trains-for-northeast-corridor/), Wired (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/05/new-amtrak-locomotives/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+wiredautopia+(Wired:+Blog+-+Autopia)&utm_content=Google+Reader)
Source: Amtrak (http://blog.amtrak.com/2013/05/amtrakcities-sprinter-locomotives-roll-off-assembly-line/)
Via: Engadget