[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Hyundai Rotem is participating in the Busan International Railway Technology Industry Exhibition to introduce future railway technologies centered on hydrogen.
Hyundai Rotem announced on the 16th that it will participate in the Busan International Railway Technology Industry Exhibition held at BEXCO in Busan. This exhibition, held every two years since 2003, is the only international railway expo in Korea and is celebrating its 10th edition this year, running for four days from the 16th to the 19th.
This exhibition attracted about 95 companies worldwide with the purpose of expanding export opportunities for domestic railway industry products and exchanging technologies with advanced overseas companies. During the exhibition, Hyundai Rotem plans to conduct online meetings with key railway stakeholders from both domestic and international markets, including Indonesia and Egypt, to expand orders.
Hyundai Rotem has prepared an exhibition hall of 2,664㎡ (approximately 805 pyeong) to showcase actual vehicles and next-generation new technologies focused on responding to changes in the future railway industry environment. In particular, a separate space dedicated to hydrogen-related technologies such as hydrogen electric trams and hydrogen charging systems will be set up to present Hyundai Rotem’s future roadmap for realizing a hydrogen society.
The hydrogen electric tram Hyundai Rotem is showcasing in person is a concept vehicle using a hybrid system combining Hyundai Motor Company’s hydrogen fuel cell and electric battery. Composed of three modules in one trainset, this vehicle is being developed with the goal of achieving a top speed of 80 km/h and a maximum driving range of 150 km on a single hydrogen charge.
The hydrogen electric tram is built with a low-floor structure, making boarding and alighting convenient not only for general passengers but also for those with mobility challenges. It is eco-friendly as it does not emit fine dust or harmful gases. Additionally, it does not require overhead wires, reducing infrastructure construction costs, and it can transport larger volumes than buses, making it economically advantageous.
Alongside the hydrogen electric tram, the dispenser unveiled at the exhibition is a type of charging nozzle developed to inject hydrogen into hydrogen vehicles. Developed directly by Hyundai Rotem, this dispenser features the ability to remove freezing phenomena occurring during charging by using compressed heated air. Hyundai Rotem also showcased a small mockup of a hydrogen extractor that extracts hydrogen from natural gas. The hydrogen extractor has completed localization of all components except the catalyst and can extract 640 kg of hydrogen per day.
Furthermore, Hyundai Rotem will reveal the actual model of Korea’s first 320 km/h class distributed power high-speed train at this exhibition. This vehicle is manufactured to the same specifications as the 'KTX-Eum,' which began commercial operation at 260 km/h in January, and consists of eight cars in one trainset.
Additionally, a VR·AR experience zone has been separately prepared where visitors can experience the train environment using virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. The VR·AR system under research and development by Hyundai Rotem allows the train design to be previewed in virtual reality, significantly shortening the design period and reducing costs. Moreover, train operators can use this system to verify maintenance procedures.
Hyundai Rotem will also showcase various digital services utilizing 4th industrial technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), big data, and cloud, along with the Korean Train Control System (KTCS-2). KTCS-2 is the world’s first system to control trains in real time using a 4th generation wireless communication-based railway communication network (LTE-R) and is planned to be pilot-applied on the Jeolla Line (Iksan~Yeosu Expo) section.
A Hyundai Rotem official said, "We plan to intensively showcase Hyundai Rotem’s future direction and technological capabilities for realizing a hydrogen society through this exhibition," adding, "We will continue to develop advanced eco-friendly products to further strengthen the growth engine in the railway sector."
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