Parallel Systems unveiled Tuesday one other second-generation, battery-powered autonomous rail vehicle, which is slated to be used in pilot projects each within the U.S. and abroad.
Through this iteration of the autonomous rail vehicle, Los Angeles-based Parallel Systems will likely be taking a look at how its autonomous rail vehicle performs with the broader rail network. It said it’s developing tools and software in order that firms can operate Parallel Systems’ vehicles from their existing dispatching and train control systems. For now, this rail vehicle has each autonomous and distant operation capability.
Parallel Systems has produced three second-generation vehicles up to now, with one other three more in production. Additional vehicles are expected to follow. The corporate said it’s producing technology that may allow a standard-sized intermodal container to suit onto the autonomous rail vehicle.
“Testing this vehicle generation and supporting systems is a critical step in our product development to tell our industrial product,” Parallel Systems co-founder and CEO Matt Soule said in Tuesday’s news release.
Parallel Systems has undertaken control, telemetry, traction, brake and dynamics testing since November 2022 at its Southern California test track. Track-worthiness testing will occur in 2024 at MxV Rail’s industry testing facility in Pueblo, Colorado.
“With lower than 3% of the 143,000 miles of U.S. railway occupied by energetic trains at any given moment, there’s immense opportunity to shift freight from the overburdened trucking industry to rail. Along with addressing the truck driver shortage, converting 100,000 trucking miles to Parallel’s rail zero-emissions vehicles would eliminate as much as 175 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” Soule said.
Parallel Systems expects to begin platoon demonstrations with this second-generation vehicle later this 12 months. Platoons would consist of as much as 50 cars, and every Parallel Systems rail automotive could be individually powered.
Last month, two Georgia subsidiaries of short line operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) announced that they’re in search of permission from the Federal Railroad Administration to check the zero-emissions, autonomous rail vehicle technology developed by Parallel Systems. Georgia Central Railway and Heart of Georgia Railroad need to use Parallel Systems’ autonomous rail vehicle technology on portions of their short-line network.
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Related links:
- G&W short lines need to test autonomous rail vehicle technology
- Autonomous rail vehicle maker outlines next steps
- Parallel Systems’ autonomous rail initiative moving to the following phase
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