Caltrain's Electric Fleet More Efficient than Expected

infrastructure investment seems hard to come by in a world focused on short term wins and solutions. it is nice to see caltrans deliver on it's long term investment in electric trains. a small win, but one i'ld like to see repeated.

as an electrical engineer, i felt both silly for not knowing much about regenerative breaking but then enjoyed the deep rabbit hole of the state of electric cars current implementation and why trains are the most perfect fit for these fundamental EM principles.

Caltrain's new electric trains are exceeding expectations by returning approximately 23% of their consumed energy back to the grid through regenerative braking. This significantly reduces electricity costs, with estimates revised down to $16.5 million annually from an initial projection of $19.5 million. Further cost savings are expected from energy credits through the California Air Resources Board's Low Carbon Fuel Standard Program. The article highlights the efficiency of regenerative braking, a technology dating back to 1886, and emphasizes Caltrain's commitment to sustainable transportation.