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The world's first hydrogen-fuelled passenger-carrying train has undergone its initial test.

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Created by Alstom, the Coradia iLint train completed its test run on a specifically designed test track in Salzgitter, Germany, reaching speeds of 80 km/h.

The trial was the first part of a four-week run designed to test the efficiency of the energy supply system and the electric braking system. Alstom says the train will have its passenger tests in Germany in 2018 and could come to the UK as soon as 2021.

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Unveiled in 2016, the Coradia iLint, Alstom says, is the first low-floor passenger train in the world that's powered by a hydrogen fuel cell which creates its electricity.

Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen atoms to produce an electrical current. The cells have been used in cars, such as Toyota's Mirai but have failed to be widely adopted.


Alstom

The US Energy Information Administration says the fuel creation method is "two to three times more efficient than an internal combustion engine" running on petrol. As well as being efficient, hydrogen fuel cells do not create any pollutants (such as green house gases) – the iLint train only emits steam and condensed water.

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In order to power the Coradia iLint, the Alstom train has its own hydrogen station along the Salzgitter track where gas is pumped into its pressure tank. "The hydrogen used for the test runs is the by-product of an industrial process, which is reasonably reused as a waste product," the firm said in a statement. The firm added that the train is an alternative to diesel trains.


During the tests, the vehicle will be tested to its maximum speed of 140 km/h. Before the rolling tests started, the electrical and pneumatic functions of the train were tested and verified.

“This test run is a significant milestone in environmental protection and technical innovation," Didier Pfleger, vice president of Alstom Germany and Austria said. "Today our new traction system, so far successfully proved on the test ring, is used on a train for the first time – a major step towards cleaner mobility in Europe".

Alstom

While the train is undergoing its first tests on tracks, it has yet to carry passengers. Alstom says the first passenger tests are planned for the Buxtehude–Bremervörde–Bremerhaven–Cuxhaven route in Germany and will happen next year.

It also says the train could be used in the UK by 2021 if the German tests are successful, and once the UK has completed the mammoth task of planning a nationwide hydrogen supply. At present, there are no plans for this to take place – although there are at least eight hydrogen filling stations for cars in the UK currently.


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The UK government has pledged to make every vehicle in the country by zero-emission by 2050. To do this it said it would be "encouraging" the introduction of hydrogen stations through franchising across the country.

In October 2016, WIRED drank the water emitted from the exhaust of a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai. Toyota says it has taken 20 years to develop the first model of its Fuel Cell Vehicle and it believes the technology will be used in more cars in the future (although, at present, the car costs £66,000). Elsewhere, Honda, Lexus, Audi and more manufacturers have signalled their plans to develop hydrogen fuel cell cars.