JR Freight Class HD300

The JR Freight Class HD300 is a hybrid diesel and battery switcher locomotive with a Bo-Bo wheel arrangement, operated by Japan Freight Railway Company in Japan. It uses lithium ion batteries and was designed to cut exhaust emissions by at least 30 to 40 percent and noise by at least 10 dB compared with the Class DE10 diesel locomotives; trials at Tokyo Freight Terminal in June 2010 showed fuel savings of 36 percent, NOx reductions of 62 percent and noise reductions of 22 dB. The prototype HD300-901 was delivered from the Toshiba factory in Fuchu on 30 March 2010 and entered revenue shunting service at Tokyo Freight Terminal in July 2011, and the first full-production locomotive entered service in February 2012. A HD300-500 sub-class for cold climates followed from November 2014, and the prototype won the Japan Railfan Club's Laurel Prize in 2012.