Two CRISI awards to Colorado State University (CSU) Pueblo and the University of Delaware (UDel) worth $26.2 million will be applied to accelerate Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) concurrence of OptiFuel’s Total-Zero™ Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Hybrid Switchers and Line Haul Locomotives in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
“This FRA concurrence will position OptiFuel to deliver diesel-RNG (renewable natural gas) hybrid switcher locomotives in 2026, serving short lines and transit railroads awarded 2024 CRISI grants, as well as those seeking to submit grant applications in 2025,” the company said. “By 2028, we plan to commence production of our Total-Zero™ 5,000 hp Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Hybrid Line Haul Locomotives (download presentation below), following completion of FRA concurrence and one million miles of reliability testing at the FRA’s Technology Transportation Center Operated by ENSCO.”
CRISI Award Details
Colorado State University Pueblo: $11.7 million (35% match; $18.4 million total). This award “supports a comprehensive $18.4 million initiative with OptiFuel and ENSCO Engineering to validate the reliability, crashworthiness and FRA concurrence of OptiFuel’s RNG/Hydrogen Onboard Storage Modules for switchers and line haul alternative fueled locomotives,” the company said. The program’s first portion will support testing of OptiFuel’s 5,000 hp Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Hybrid Line Haul Locomotive at FRA’s TTC facilities in 2026 and 2027. Some of the key tasks in this portion of the initiative include:
- OptiFuel RNG/hydrogen onboard storage system modules will undergo accelerated impact and vibration testing to simulate one million miles of revenue service.
- The survivability of these fuel storage modules will be validated by simulating a collision with a Class 7 truck at a rail crossing.
- Testing will confirm that OptiFuel locomotives meet Tier I passenger equipment crashworthiness requirements, as specified in 49 CFR Part 238, for speeds up to 125 mph.
- The program will also demonstrate a rapid gas-release system on the module to manage major accidents involving fire and prevent operational issues in tunnels.
The CSU Pueblo program’s second portion includes design and installation of fixed and mobile RNG and hydrogen refueling systems at TTC, integrated with diesel refueling. As part of this initiative, the partners will develop new refueling standards, safety and hazard protocols and refueling procedures for the industry—all based on OptiFuel’s “successful programs with integrated Diesel-RNG and hydrogen refueling systems at IHB (Indiana Harbor Belt) Railroad and Sierra Northern Railway. The final portion of this comprehensive public-private initiative encompasses the development of processes and documentation for training railroad industry professionals, first responders, emergency managers, planning and permitting officials, and safety engineers on gaseous fuel motive power operations, maintenance, safety, and incident mitigation—supporting safe implementation of these environmentally friendly alternative fuel locomotives throughout the U.S.”
University of Delaware: $14.5 million (20% match; $18.1 million total). This award “supports a comprehensive $18.1 million program incorporating long-term reliability testing for multiple line haul locomotives, expanding OptiFuel’s industry impact to the development of programs for the next generation railroad workforce,” the company said. “OptiFuel plans to build four additional line haul locomotives in 2026, specifically for one-million-mile reliability testing at the TTC that supports this effort.”
According to OptiFuel, its Total-Zero™ Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Line Haul Locomotives:
- “Achieve near-zero nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions, and net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- “Reduce total fuel costs by up to 50% compared to Tier 4 diesel locomotives through combined value of 20% fuel economy gains from advanced power modules, hybridization, regenerative braking, energy management systems, and fixed-rate RNG pricing.
- “Travel 2,000 miles—e.g., from the Ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach to Chicago—without refueling or requiring a tender.
- “[Provide] redundant power ensures extreme high availability and reliability to guarantee tractive power—5,500 hp IC diesel and 1,000 hp battery power for a total peak power of 6,500 hp.
- “[Provide] AC traction with regenerative braking that maintains full tractive effort even with the loss of one traction motor.
- “[Offer] more than 95% availability with high reliability and lower lifetime maintenance costs.
- “Can be retrofitted to any existing switcher or line haul platform.
- “[Offer] one-hour engine module replacement, minimizing disruptions and out-of-order assets
- [Feature] 90% component modularity allowing for easy module swapping between locomotive sizes.
- [Feature a] 30-year locomotive lifespan with flexibility to simply swap out modules for upgrades and transitions to future technologies or alternative fuels.
- “Require minimal infrastructure expansion
“We believe that the debate on the next generation power source for freight locomotives is over,” said OptiFuel President Scott Myers. “Replacing existing locomotives with battery-electric, hydrogen or catenary power would cost Class I railroads several trillion dollars, while OptiFuel locomotives achieve the same goal at around 5% of that cost. To meet Class I SBTi targets of 100% net-zero by 2050, a ZE line haul locomotive must achieve FRA concurrence and be in production by 2030 to feasibly replace the 25,000 high-emission line haul locomotives reaching end-of-life within this timeframe. OptiFuel’s innovative Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Hybrid Locomotive is the only product on track to achieve FRA concurrence in time to meet this critical need. OptiFuel’s technical approach to innovation offers railroads not only emissions elimination, but a low-risk, cost-effective solution that can achieve widespread adoption within the next five years, reduce annual fuel expenses by up 50%, and exceed the performance levels of existing Tier 4 diesel line haul locomotives.”
Additional Information
2024 ASLRRA Dallas “Achieving Low Risk, Affordable Decarbonization of the U.S. Locomotive Fleet to Zero Emissions Using a Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel ‘No Tender’ Solution”:
Total-Zero™ 5,000 hp Diesel-RNG Dual Fuel Hybrid Line Haul Locomotives:
