Deutsche Bahn speeds ahead of the regulatory curve with SF6-free switchgear
An ABB case study
Deutsche Bahn carries around 4.8 billion passengers a year, and, as Germany’s national railway, the company has ambitious plans to decarbonize its network by 2040. ABB was awarded the contract to supply its PrimeGear ZX0 solution as part of the project to supply four charging substations dedicated to battery-powered trains for Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. PrimeGear replaces sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) with AirPlus, a sustainable gas mixture.
Although SF6 has a global warming potential (GWP) that’s 25,200 times that of CO2 and lasts around 3,200 years in the atmosphere, its excellent insulation qualities have meant it is still commonly used in electrical switchgear. As part of a 13 billion euro investment in its “Green Transformation,” PrimeGear will support Deutsche Bahn’s ambitious plans to decarbonize its network by 2040. It is a major milestone on the rail operator’s broader sustainability journey, which aims to create a greenhouse gas (GHG)-free rail network for future gen-erations.