From track to road and back
Shunting Vehicle for Rail and Road
Shunting vehicles with road-rail technology combine several advantages in addition to the clean electric drive. Here, we have designed the road-rail robot VLEX for the rough everyday use in railway sidings. All components as well as the steel construction are extremely robust.
At the same time, you have maximum drive power and experience technology features such as the swing axle for increased derailment safety. In just a few seconds, you can safely switch from the track to the road.
This makes the VLEX the ideal solution for your shunting and loading jobs up to 600 tons:
- More power and endurance: 100% e-mobility drive concept
- Change from track to road made easy with the new type of joystick remote control with color codes
- Highlight: High derailment safety due to the swing axle and intelligent track guidance units
- Innovative articulated steering for an ingenious vehicle and steering geometry on the road
- Despite dirt and dust: Extremely robust for a long service life
100% E-Mobility Drive Concept h2>
100% fully electric - the road-rail robot VLEX has a clean drive concept with high power.
4 x 4 All-wheel drive provides real power and endurance
Powerful 96% efficiency, four individually controlled wheel hub motors with a peak torque of up to 4,000 Nm ensure reliable shunting processes and optimum power transmission on road and rail - both outdoors and in enclosed loading or workshop areas. Braking is electric. Spring-loaded multi-disc brakes acting on all wheels keep the road-rail vehicle safely in position.
From 0 to 100: Simple and intelligent recharging
The battery is recharged via an intelligent high-frequency charger with gentle charge control. Air circulation +AIR accelerates the charging process and enables trouble-free intermediate charging. The tubular plate technology also ensures a long battery life cycle.
A special, newly developed drive-away protection prevents accidents during the charging process.
In 15 min learning the road-rail technology: New color concept h2>
The outdoor remote control makes it particularly easy thanks to the novel color system.
Learning to steer and drive in minutes
The steering and travel directions as well as the lowering device of the track guide rollers can be intuitively operated via color-coded buttons. In addition, all other functions such as buttons for solo/load speed, locking of the steering function, working lights, the shunting coupling and an emergency stop button are always in view and can be selected.
Swing axle for optimum contact with road and rail h2>
For optimum traction and power transmission, we rely on a high dead weight of 4.5 t (VLEX 20) resp. 10 t (VLEX 40) and a newly developed swing axle. This ensures that all drive wheels always have maximum contact with the ground and can develop their full power during rail and road travel.
Smaller obstacles as well as potholes are mastered without loss of stability and traction, even on unpaved but load-bearing surfaces.
High derailing safety and easy on/off tracking due to track guide rollers
In conjunction with the swing axle, the inside track guide units ensure a high level of derailment safety and a particularly simple on/off tracking process. The individual track rollers can be rotated individually and have a special hydraulic compensation control.
Innovative articulated steering for sophisticated steering geometry h2>
Many conventional shunting vehicles are too clumsy and operate with high wear. The newly developed road-rail robot VLEX has a special articulated steering system. The steering is effected via the speed control of the wheels, which means that the usual steering cylinders for articulated steering systems could be dispensed with.
The road-rail vehicle is nonetheless compact and impresses with extremely small turning radii.
High usability, less wear and downtime
With articulated steering, we eliminate the need for individually steerable wheels, which are often equipped with a lot of vulnerable electronics. This not only avoids disturbing downtimes, but also ensures a particularly simple steering geometry. Tire wear is also significantly reduced.
High robustness for a long lifetime h2>
Dirt, dust and the climate and weather conditions often make shunting processes in sidings challenging for technology. The shunting technology previously used in many sectors is often susceptible to faults due to its delicate construction. With the VLEX, we are focusing here on a real evolution in road-rail technology. Not only has the drive and steering concept been completely redeveloped, but with a special steel structure and high-quality components, the road-rail vehicle is designed especially for rough railway operation.
Robust construction as for construction machinery
The steel frame is extremely robust and fully welded. Even in the event of minor collisions, no major damage occurs and shunting operations can be continued without any problems. The individual components, such as the track rollers or electronic components, are also designed in such a way that they are maximally protected but still freely accessible at all times. This also significantly facilitates any maintenance procedures that may be necessary.
Technical Details
Technics and Details (VLEX 20/VLEX 40)
- Traction force 20 kN up to 300 t tensile load (VLEX 20) or 40 kN up to 600 t tensile load (VLEX 40) at 0 ‰ in straight, level track, 6 km/h or 3 km/h under load
- All-wheel drive with four powerful 7.5 kW (VLEX 20) or 12.5 KW (VLEX 40) wheel hub motors and permanently excited DC synchronous motors
- Lifetime min. 20,000 h
- Spring-loaded multi-disc brakes act on all wheels
- ± 45° (VLEX 20) or ± 35° (VLEX 40) passive articulated steering
- Track gauges 1,000/1,435/1,520 mm (VLEX 20) or 1,435/1,520 mm (VLEX 40) other track gauges on request
- High-performance traction battery with a lifetime of approx. 1,500 cycles, voltage 80 V, capacity 360 Ah (VLEX 20) and 875 Ah (VLEX 40)
- Intelligent charger for high energy efficiency with air circulation +AIR for accelerated charging
- High-quality series components from renowned manufacturers (Exide, Allweiher, STW, Abitron and many more)