Eco Factor: Newly developed software by GE maximizes fuel savings in locomotives.
GE Transportation has announced a new technology, which will bestow locomotives with a feature similar to the “autopilot” technology used in aviation. The new technology, dubbed “Trip Optimizer”, calculates the optimal speed profile for a trip based on the inputs, and then automatically configures the throttle to maximize fuel saving throughout the trip.
The company announced that Canadian Pacific Railway is equipping 200 of its freight locomotives with this new breakthrough technology. The company claims that the technology can potentially reduce fuel consumption by up to 32,000 gallons per year per locomotive and if installed to a fleet of 1,500 Evolution Locomotives, it could save an estimated 48 million gallons of fuel each year, and if every train running in North America installs the Trip Optimizer, the savings could be approximately 630 million gallons each year.
