Russia’s first hydrogen-powered tram has been launched in St Petersburg.
The development of the tram has been taking place since 2016, and the first trial runs (without passengers) took place on St Petersburg’s Moskovsky Prospekt on November 1. According to Gorelektrotrans municipal electric transport company, the experiment went well. Experts believe that hydrogen-powered trams will be more economically efficient and environmentally friendly than regular ones, in particular, because they do not require wires. Electrical energy will appear in hydrogen fuel cells due to a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in the air.
The unique tram was developed by St Petersburg’s Gorelektrotrans and the branch of the Krylov State Research Center, which specializes in shipbuilding. The new tram is so far Russia’s only prototype of public transport powered by fuel cells. The chassis for the new tram were taken from the trams that were manufactured in Leningrad before 1988.