German passengers boarded the world’s first hydrogen-powered trains. Alstom is the company that has built this train though at present it is a bit expensive to buy a hydrogen train as compared to its diesel counter part but over a period of time it is cheaper to run.
The new trains transport passengers along 100 kilometers (62 miles) of track and can travel up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) on a single tank of hydrogen, reaching top speeds of 140 kmh (87 mph).
Chemistry recap: Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen, and their only byproduct is water. That makes the cells a promising energy source that produces zero emissions and very little noise.
Currently Hydrogen cells are costly but new research is helping cut the cost of hydrogen, and the fuel source is already in use elsewhere in the world to power buses and cars. Trains are much heavier, though, so powering them with hydrogen instead of diesel could do much more to cut carbon emissions.
If all goes well with these first two trains, Alstom hopes to add another 12 to its Lower Saxony fleet.
Reference- CNBC, Reuters, Futurism