GE Transportation touts Trip Optimizer
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefCalling it “breakthrough software,” GE Transportation Wednesday announced successful testing of its Trip Optimizer, which it says functions on locomotives much like an automobile’s cruise control.
Erie, Pa.-based GE Transportation, part of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co., said Trip Optimizer calculates the optimal speed profile for a trip based on a specific train’s makeup and route and then automatically controls the throttle to maintain that planned speed and save fuel. Trip Optimizer operates in two ways: automatic control or advisement mode. Automatic control maintains the planned speed automatically, while advisement mode informs the operator which throttle and dynamic braking levels to use to optimize fuel efficiency and speed.
Four major North American Class I railroads have outfitted their locomotives with Trip Optimizer and have accumulated more than five million service miles run in advisement and automatic control, according to GE Transportation. Trip Optimizer generated a fuel savings of approximately 7% and a corresponding reduction of more than 37,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or the same impact as taking more than 7,000 passenger cars off of the road or planting more than 10,000 acres of forest.
The company says Trip Optimizer is the third in a series of transportation software advances from GE. It joins GE’s LOCOTROL Distributed Power product that increases hauling capacity and reduces operating costs, and GE’s RailEdge Movement Planner that enables railroads to move more freight faster on their existing networks.
Pierre Comte, president GE Transportation Intelligent Control Systems, said, “After years of research and a considerable investment, we’re proud to reach this milestone. Trip Optimizer generates fuel saving sranging from 3% to 15% per locomotive depending on territory as measured by North American train operators. It is a significant element in the future of fuel conservation with the added benefit of reducing emissions for railroads around the world.”
