MANY MINDEDAMT's hot-swappable battery electric rail excavator series reduces rail maintenance downtime
AMT has developed a hot-swappable battery electric rail excavator series (TW) co-developed with Royal BAM. The units operate in 18-24 metric tonne classes and feature a 600V electrical system with a water-cooled permanent-magnet motor producing 121 kW. Each machine includes four 90 kWh battery packs (totaling 360 kWh) that support 8-16 hours of continuous operation. The key innovation is hot-swapping: two or three battery packs can operate simultaneously while a replacement is deployed, with modular packs shareable across multiple AMT machines. Onboard charging reaches 120 kW, and AMT claims a full 260 kWh pack can achieve 20-80% state of charge in under two hours.
This design directly reduces rail infrastructure maintenance downtime for heavy equipment by eliminating fossil fuel use during operations. For rail projects requiring frequent heavy machinery, the hot-swapping capability means maintenance interruptions can be minimized without compromising the equipment’s availability.
The system moves abundance in rail infrastructure maintenance by lowering the cost and friction of keeping heavy equipment operational. Reduced downtime means rail projects can progress faster without fossil fuel dependency, potentially lowering expenses for rail maintenance crews. However, independent verification of the charging time claim and real-world performance under varied conditions remain unconfirmed. The product is described as a 'highlight' in the source, indicating limited scope of coverage for current applications.
Source: Electrek