The trials were conducted between December 2017 to March 2018, following a research programme led by Bombardier and supported by the Swedish Energy Agency. The research team included Stockholm County Council (SLL), fleet operator, MTR Tech, academic partner, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Rise/Acreo research institute.

A prototype was designed, built and tested at Bombardier’s engineering centre in Västerås, Sweden. The Mitrac TC1500 traction converter equipped with SiC semiconductors was then tested on a C20 car. The SiC converter is 51% smaller and weighs 22% less than a conventional converter.

“We are very proud of the great strides we are making in reducing energy consumption and are thankful for the strong collaboration with our partners that made this achievement possible,” says Mr Thore Sekkenes, head of Bombardier Transportation Sweden.