Draft:Alta Technology

  • Comment: The draft cites mostly non-independent sources from the company's partners and affiliated groups. Ca talk to me! 00:50, 13 November 2024 (UTC)

Alta Battery Technology PTY LTD
Company typePrivate
IndustryIndustrial Services
FoundedMay 10, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-05-10) in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Founder
  • Roy Zou
Area served
Asia–Pacific
Products
  • Complete Traction Control Systems
  • DCDC Converters
Number of employees
2042 (Including Group Employees)
Websitealtatechnology.com.au

Alta Technology is a global decarbonization company that designs, manufactures, and installs hybrid and fully electric battery engines for heavy duty Haul trucks, Locomotives, and other heavy equipment.

Headquartered in Australia, the company has operational branches in Africa and Asia.[1]

History

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Alta Technology was founded in 2022 as part of Huashi Group’s ongoing expansion into sustainable, high-performance transportation solutions.

Huashi Group, originally established in 1992 as Nanjing Huashi Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., has developed a distinguished record in China’s urban rail and high- speed rail sectors, pioneering major advances in traction systems, auxiliary power, and electric drive technologies across China and East Asia, Europe and North America.[2]

Battery Electric Tender

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In 2024, The Battery Electric Tender (BET) project, launched in partnership between Alta and Aurizon, Australia’s largest freight company, in efforts to decarbonize rail freight. The project involves installing a 1.8 megawatt-hour (MWh) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and battery management system into a 45-foot container tender positioned behind a 2300 class locomotive.[3]

Designed as a hybrid solution to operate alongside modified locomotives, the BET combines diesel-electric power with battery-electric capabilities to improve fuel efficiency and reduce fuel emissions, enabling transition between full diesel power, hybrid power, and full electric power.[4] The unit also captures regenerative energy generated during braking, allowing the train to harness power that would otherwise be lost, reducing net energy demands by up to 29% and helping to optimise onboard storage, making the battery system more efficient for extended freight hauls.[5]

Aurizon identified the necessity of the BET as part of its strategy to mitigate the environmental impact of rail transport in Australia, where freight operations, accounting for 95% of rail emissions, have significantly contributed to the increase in national transport emissions over the past two decades.[6]

Although battery technology has been applied in various rail systems internationally, the BET is one of the first solutions tailored specifically to heavy-haul operations across long distances in Australia’s remote regions.[4] Trials of the BET are expected to begin in early 2026, with preliminary modelling indicating it has the capability to extend freight travel distances by up to 850 kilometers.[4] The project is slated to be completed by late 2026.[3]

The BET project, based in Fortitude Valley, has received a $9.4 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) through it's Advancing Renewables program, covering half of the project’s $18.8 million budget. In partnership with Alta, Aurizon has committed to co-financing the project and developing the technology within Australia. ARENA CEO Darren Miller highlighted the project’s potential as a “world first” that could help decarbonize Australia’s rail freight industry, which is closely tied to the emissions-intensive resources sector. [3]

Alta’s role includes supplying the LFP battery and battery management system, charging infrastructure, specialised direct current (DC-to-DC) converter, as well as modifying the locomotive's electrical and control systems to enable high-voltage integration between the BET’s battery and the diesel locomotive.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ltd, Spicy Web Pty (2024-04-19). "Our Locations". Alta Technology. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  2. ^ "International Metro Transit Exhibition 2021 (Beijing) Program" (PDF). Metro Trans Beijing. p. 66.
  3. ^ a b c "Aurizon Battery Electric Tender Demonstration". Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  4. ^ a b c d "Aurizon secures funding to develop next-generation freight trains using renewable energy". www.aurizon.com.au. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  5. ^ Harding, Damien; Burton, Jonathon; Buckley, Roger. "Powering towards net zero battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology for Australia's heavy haul freight industry". CORE 2023 Conference on Railway Excellence: Celebrating 25 Years in Motion. ISBN 9781925627794 – via Informit. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "The critical path to decarbonise Australia's rail rollingstock: Transitioning the Rail Industry and its Supply Chain" (PDF). Australasian Railway Association.
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