In the cold winter, Hulunbuir, located in northern China, has become the coldest place in the country. The latitude here is high, and cold currents from Siberia often visit, with temperatures often dropping to tens of degrees below zero. However, in such extreme low temperature environments, an electric electric hybrid shunting locomotive testing team faced the challenge and went to Hulunbuir Hailar for low-temperature tests to examine the performance of the entire vehicle and power batteries in extreme low temperature environments, as well as the ability of supporting systems.

This low-temperature test was conducted from January 7th to 26th, 2024, and historically, there has been a low temperature weather of -48.2 ℃ here. The experimental team faced extreme cold and harsh environments and resolutely began this arduous task. In order to ensure that the ambient temperature is below -30 ℃, the experiment started in the early morning and was conducted continuously in a 24-hour shift mode. In the harsh cold environment, the various systems of the locomotive operated stably and successfully completed 10 test verifications.

This experimental team has gone through a long journey. From early August 2023 to present, they have sailed into regions such as Xinjiang, Beijing, Henan, Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia, completing 38 type tests, 10 research tests, and 4 exploration tests over a period of 5 months. The test results all meet the requirements of the outline, especially the results of research-oriented tests such as endurance and vehicle efficiency, which are superior to the standards of the test outline, demonstrating the excellent performance of the locomotive.

The success of this experiment not only provides valuable practical experience for the research and application of hybrid shunting locomotives, but also makes important contributions to China's scientific and technological progress and industrial development.Editor/Cheng Liting