A Bidirectional DC-DC Converter for Battery Electric Light Rail Vehicle and Its Test Run Results

Light Rail Vehicles have historically sourced power from overhead power lines. However in recent years, catenary-free operations are fast gaining prominence. Catenary-free refers to the removal of the overhead power line equipments from the vehicle system. Power for such systems is sourced on-board energy storage devices. This paper gives an overview of the next-generation battery-driven low-floor light rail vehicle named SWIMO, which includes an impressive technology, concept and test results. The development concept for SWIMO has been to make a vehicle that is `good for people and the environment' with consideration of the aging of society and environmental concerns. The SWIMO vehicle is equipped with a charge-discharge control unit mounted on the rooftop that controls the charge and discharge for on-board batteries. The operating modes of bidirectional buck-boost converter are also presented and discussed from an innovative point of view.