The same frenzy is about to expand to other means of transportation as well, as the demands for greener, but also cheaper ways to make things move become more and stringent. One of the first non-automotive industry to get ready to accommodate the hybrids is the rail transport one, an industry in which, according to a report by Pike Research, hybrids will play an important role in the future.
There are currently some types of hybrid locomotives used in the rail transport industry, but their number is expected to grow in the years to come. The so-called gensets (locomotives with multiple engines which can switch off to reduce emissions) will likely evolve into full time hybrids.
Pike estimates that by 2020, the use of hybrid locomotives will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.4 percent. At the same time, gensets will expand by 6.7 percent over the next decade.
"Hybrid locomotives will have a strong return on investment, as a result of their ability to use low-cost batteries," Pike senior analyst Dave Hurst said. "In addition, the market will receive a boost from new diesel locomotive emissions regulations scheduled to go into effect in the European Union in 2014 and in North America in 2015, which will require diesel locomotives to receive substantial changes or exhaust treatments."
“In addition, railroad infrastructure is growing rapidly in India and China, and emissions concerns will drive hybrid demand in those markets as well."
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