Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Musashi Energy Solutions Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd., announced their signing of a partnership and co-development agreement on May 14 for Innovative Energy Storage Devices to be incorporated into Innovative Energy Storage Modules, and Battery Management Systems (BMSs) that monitor and control battery usage for railway operators and rolling stock manufacturers.
high safety levels of HSCs
Under the joint-development agreement, Mitsubishi Electric’s advanced technologies will be leveraged in Innovative Energy Storage Modules to upgrade Musashi Energy Solutions’ Innovative Energy Storage Devices with functions for vibration resistance, insulation and waterproofing to be utilized in railcars and any other vehicles.
The devices are expected to achieve the long service life and high safety levels of Hybrid Supercapacitors
The devices are expected to achieve the long service life and high safety levels of Hybrid Supercapacitors (HSCs), as well as high output density not possible with conventional lithium-ion batteries and high-capacity density not possible with conventional HSCs.
In addition, the modules are expected to provide optimal output density and capacity density to absorb high regenerative power generated during railcar braking and output running power.
CO2 emissions and power consumption
The Innovative Energy Storage Module will enable power storage for hydrogen fuel cell hybrid trains, diesel hybrid trains, overhead catenary-less trains, substation peak shaving, brake resistor replacement, etc., as well as various railway solutions, both onboard and above ground, to support carbon neutrality.
In the future, Innovative Energy Storage Modules and BMSs combine technologies from both companies, including Mitsubishi Electric technologies for manufacturing compact energy-saving power electronics devices and for high-precision estimation of battery state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH), and Musashi Energy Solutions technologies for manufacturing pre-doped Energy Storage Devices, a byproduct of the company’s HSC expertise.
The goal is to contribute to more sustainable railways by reducing both CO2 emissions and power consumption as well as streamlining facilities. Mitsubishi Electric’s global sales network will be used to sell Innovative Energy Storage Modules to railway companies overseas as well as in Japan.
Use of advanced energy storage technology
Railway companies, especially in the EU, are strengthening their sustainability initiatives
Railway companies, especially in the EU, are strengthening their sustainability initiatives by introducing eco-friendly railcars equipped with energy storage technology to reduce both CO2 emissions and power consumption and other technologies for streamlining facilities and managing shifting power peaks.
In addition to railways, various infrastructures also require more stable and effective power utilization through the use of advanced energy storage technology.
Manufacture of energy-management systems
Mitsubishi Electric has a strong presence in rolling stock electrical equipment markets in Japan and overseas. Through initiatives such as the development and manufacture of energy-management systems for railways and the company’s Station Energy Saving Inverter (S-EIV®), which makes effective use of regenerative energy, Mitsubishi Electric is contributing to greater power-supply stability and sustainability for railways.
Musashi Energy Solutions has been a world-pioneering mass producer of HSCs since 2011. The company provides space-saving and weight-reduction devices to meet market demands for rapid charging and discharging, energy regeneration and peak-power assistance.