HOW ARE PPM TRAMS AND RAILCARS POWERED?
Any way of making the flywheel rotate is a means of powering a PPM vehicle. We see the most potential in these methods, but we don’t rule anything out!
- On-board internal combustion engines: LPG-powered engines have proved a great success on our PPM 30 and PPM 50 vehicles. Because of the flywheel energy storage, the engines are tiny compared to normal rail diesel engines, and the vehicles are so quiet and clean that they seem to be electrically powered. Green diesel and hydrogen can also be used as fuels.
- Intermittent electrical supply: Energy storage means that an electric PPM tramway just takes power at the tram stops, with no overhead electrification along the route. On urban tramways, stops are close enough together to ensure that the flywheel won't run out of energy, so a zero-emission transport system can be built without the cost, installation or maintenance of power supply infrastructure.
- Emerging technologies: Hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to generate electricity for powering the flywheel, while an electric system could also be powered by solar, wind or other renewable energy sources.
For further information, see the Technology page.
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