World's first zero-emissions hydrogen train, Coradia iLint, unveiled in Germany

World's first hydrogen-powered and zero-emission passenger train was unveiled in September 2016 in Germany.

The Coradia iLint, developed by French rail company Alstom, only emits excess steam and condensed water into the atmosphere.

Key highlights of the Coradia iLint

• Coradia iLint is powered by a hydrogen fuel tank on its roof. The fuel cell is supplied with hydrogen and oxygen from the air, which it converts into electric power.

• The system is backed up by lithium batteries. These batteries store the excess power in order to later supply the train when needed.

• The train is totally carbon-free, making it a much more sustainable alternative to the 4000 diesel trains currently in circulation in Germany.

• It has enough onboard hydrogen storage to power an 800 kilometre journey, with speeds topping out at 87 miles per hour.

• The testing of the train will be carried out by the end of 2016. If the results prove successful, the trains will service the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in the German state of Lower Saxony by December 2017.

About Alstom

• Alstom is a French multinational company operating worldwide in rail transport markets.

• It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, and Pendolino high-speed trains, in addition to suburban, regional and metro trains and Citadis trams.

• It was formed from a merger between Compagnie Française Thomson Houston and the Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques in 1928. A merger with parts of the General Electric Company plc (UK) formed GEC-Alstom in 1989; the company became Alstom in 1998.