This makes me think: a locomotive's cruise power consumption is around 1MW, LiFePO4 batteries are currently $137/kWh, so for the price of a single machine($500k) one could have a rail car with 3MWh on board, which could be used in places where there's no overhead power supply.
I assume that just putting miles of cable along the track is more cost-effective, but it can't be used everywhere.
I assume that just putting miles of cable along the track is more cost-effective, but it can't be used everywhere.