Parallel Systems is founded by 3 former SpaceX engineers who want to create smaller, flexible zero-emission trains which pull no more than 50 cars and operate with greater frequency, pulling some trucks off the road. “Rail is so much more energy efficient (than trucks). Even though today freight rail is diesel locomotives, it’s already a decarbonization win to convert to rail…we’re specifically focused on is trying to open the markets that rail can address, but then further improving the CO2 footprint by making it electric, too.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2022/01/19/spacex-v…
SpaceX Veterans Aim To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains
Mile-long, slow-moving diesel trains loaded with cargo chugging slowly across the U.S. could be a thing of the past one day if stealth startup Parallel Systems has its way. The Los Angeles company thinks the future of freight lies in autonomous battery-powered trains that squeeze far more capacity out of existing rail lines.
They are going to have to lay down a whole lot of new track to get to where they want to be.
Smaller electric trains are fine–but the markets they serve will need to be smaller in order to make the trains cost-effective on a cost/delivery basis. Big markets can justify dedicated systems delivering in volume because the cost/delivery is far less.
SpaceX Veterans Aim To Shake Up Freight Rail With Electric, Robotic Trains Mile-long, slow-moving diesel trains loaded with cargo chugging slowly across the U.S. could be a thing of the past one day if stealth startup Parallel Systems has its way. The Los Angeles company thinks the future of freight lies in autonomous battery-powered trains that squeeze far more capacity out of existing rail lines.
I have long wondered about automation and the railroads. Every time I see one of those “disaster” shows on the science channel about a railroad collision because a signal failed or the engineer fell asleep or whatever I wonder: why isn’t there GPS on every train? And why isn’t there a rack in a data center somewhere that tracks train movements and if necessary overrides the commands being given on the train?
Heck, we do it with airplanes and have been doing it for decades (the 737Max debacle notwithstanding). Railroads should be even easier. Airplanes can be anywhere in 3 dimensions: up, down, left, right. Railroads can only be right on the track. Is there a train ahead? How hard is that? There are about the same number of trains runnning at any given time as commercial airliners, so it can be done.
I’ll bet if you gave Google, or Musk, or somebody like that a couple billion they could put together a system to track, safety control, and eventually efficientize the rails system far more than this ‘laying signal wiring’ along every foot of rail in the country as it’s now done. More than just control, doing a battery swap for new electrified trains would be simple since you know exactly where the locomotive (or battery car) would be located, plus or minus a couple of horizontal feet. A robot arm reaches out and takes out the old, in with the new, yer off!
You’d have unions and inbred management to deal with, but how hard can that be? Just hire Vishal Garg for a day or two to fire them all by Zoom call and it’s handled. I’m telling you when they make me King not only will the trains run on time, they’ll run without human intervention. That’s the ticket.
I have long wondered about automation and the railroads. Every time I see one of those “disaster” shows on the science channel about a railroad collision because a signal failed or the engineer fell asleep or whatever I wonder: why isn’t there GPS on every train? And why isn’t there a rack in a data center somewhere that tracks train movements and if necessary overrides the commands being given on the train?
Beats me. Approximately a billion years ago in the early 90s, I did some work for the railroads in California and Nevada. I don’t know if they had GPS back then, but they did have some sort of satellite tracking system.
Anyway, they were fanatical about safety. They were so hypersensitive that I can’t imagine there would be some obvious new safety improvement that they wouldn’t immediately jump on. For example, not long ago there was a commuter train derailment in WA state because the driver was speeding. Why is the train allowed to speed? My phone knows if I am speeding. Seems like the train should know.