13 October 2010
GE Announces Success of Breakthrough Technology to Help Railroads Save Fuel
· More than three million gallons of fuel saved to date
· Ran on five million service miles of track in North America
· Software calculates the optimal speed for minimal fuel consumption
ERIE, Pa.--13 October 2010-- GE Transportation today announced the success of a technology that changes the rail industry by calculating the optimal locomotive speed for minimal fuel consumption, resulting in 3.3 million gallons of fuel savings on the first five million miles of track run using the technology. It is the latest example of how GE’s $4 billion-a-year software and solutions services are helping customers improve productivity and efficiency worldwide.
GE’s Trip Optimizer, an ecomagination product, is breakthrough software which functions much like a car’s cruise control. 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 1 railroads have outfitted their locomotives with GE Transportation’s Trip Optimizer and have accumulated more than five million service miles run in advisement and automatic control. Trip Optimizer generated a fuel savings of approximately 7% and a corresponding reduction of more than 37,000 tons of CO2, 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.
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 savings ranging 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.”
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.
For more information:
www.getransportation.com
www.GEReports.com
About GE Transportation
Established more than 100 years ago, GE Transportation, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a global technology leader and supplier to the railroad, marine, drilling, and mining and wind industries. GE Transportation provides freight and passenger locomotives, signaling and communications systems, information technology solutions, marine engines, motorized drive systems for mining trucks and drills, high-quality replacement parts and value added services. GE Transportation is headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, and employs approximately 8,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit www.getransportation.com.
About GE’s ecomagination
GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, more than 90 ecomagination-approved products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched “GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid”, a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in building the next-generation power grid. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at http://www.ecomagination.com
About GE:
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
