China Railway tests transport of batteries for electric vehicles

(Xinhua/Tang Yi)

China State Railway Group Co., Ltd (China Railway) has carried out its first large-scale transportation trial of lithium batteries for electric vehicles.

Three trains loaded with lithium batteries left southwest China on Tuesday, from Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, and Guizhou Province.

For China, the world’s largest producer of lithium batteries, this is a major step forward in the transport of these vehicle batteries, which are on the list of dangerous goods and were previously only transported by sea or road. .

Transporting lithium batteries involves risks, as they can burn or explode if impacted.

“For this trial, we are using a new type of container designed solely for transporting lithium batteries. The containers are made of non-combustible materials and equipped with smoke and temperature detectors, as well as ventilation devices,” said Jia Ping, Deputy General Manager of China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd.

Rail transport will facilitate the export of Chinese lithium batteries because it offers greater capacity than road transport and is faster than sea transport, Jia said.

The initiative was welcomed by Chinese battery giant CATL. “This rail transportation trial is further recognition of the safety performance of domestic lithium batteries,” said Liu Jie, head of supply chains and logistics of CATL.

“Rail transportation opens a new channel for efficient transportation of lithium batteries. This will boost our exports by reducing logistics costs and improving logistics efficiency,” he added.