Intramotev, a technology start-up that produces self-propelled battery-electric railcar retrofits, has released video footage of its TugVolt unit running in revenue service at Carmeuse America’s calcium mine in Cedarville, Mich.
A total of three units will be deployed at the mining company’s site to support a new captive railway slated to carry one six-car train of ore per hour, the supplier announced in April. The project is supported, in part, by Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification via the Michigan Mobility Funding Program, and estimated to help eliminate up to 55,000 gallons of diesel fuel consumption and 617 tons of vehicle-level CO2 emissions.
In the video, released Dec. 6, “we showcase testing of the first TugVolt unit’s ability to move under load, pull a loaded traditional railcar, and remotely dump material,” according to Intramotev (scroll down to view photographs and to watch the video). “The deployment represents significant innovation in the electrification of traditional rail assets without major infrastructure changes.”
Intramotev spokesperson Don Soffer told Railway Age on Dec. 9 that the “Carmeuse mine is shutting down for the winter (it is a seasonal mine), but we are planning to deploy the remaining two cars [TugVolts] when the facility reopens in the spring.”
As reported by Railway Age earlier this year, the TugVolt is a locomotive replacement supplied as a “proprietary kit that can retrofit/upfit existing railcars to become battery-electric”; it “can uncouple from the consist to independently provide first- and last-mile service” and “enables freight to move with the flexibility of a truck, without breaking the existing model of rail operations,” according to Intramotev.
“Collaborating with a world-class partner like Carmeuse Americas brings us closer to achieving our mission of decarbonizing mining and steel transportation,” Intramotev CEO Tim Luchini said.
“We’re excited to partner with Intramotev to deploy their TugVolt technology,” said Jeff Bittner, Senior VP of Operations at Carmeuse Americas. “This partnership represents an incredible opportunity to increase our efficiency, decrease our carbon footprint, and keep our workers safe and focused on what they do best through adoption of emerging digital technologies. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
The deployment in Michigan follows Intramotev’s new switching agreement with Eagle Drayage & Warehouse Co., which was announced in September (see photograph below). The 3PL (third-party logistics company) based in St. Louis, Mo., is “leasing the services from one TugVolt, not [the] physical TugVolt asset,” Intramotev’s Don Soffer told Railway Age at that time. “The agreement is entirely based around the services performed.”
Also earlier this year, Intramotev deployed three ReVolt battery-electric retrofitted hopper cars for Iron Senergy’s 17-mile private rail line between its Cumberland Coal Mine and its Alicia Harbor facility on the Monogahela River in Waynesburg, Pa. (see photograph below).
