The e-coupler developed by Voith will be used uniformly in FP5-TRANS4-R. This approach has now been approved by the European DAC Delivery Programme (EDDP) Programme Board in April 2024 and by the EDDP Supervisory Board in July 2024. To establish a standard for European rail freight traffic, the Voith e-coupler design will ultimately form the basis for interface standardization. In all wagons and locomotives of a digital freight train, the e-coupler is the key component for power supply and data transmission.
The selection results from a transparent process that started in autumn 2023. Selection criteria were defined by an expert group of operators and agreed upon by the coupler manufacturers. The main focus of the criteria was on technical aspects and the cost of purchase and maintenance. The e-couplers were tested on the FP5-TRANS4M-R, the DAC4EU train, and the manufacturers' test benches in a thorough four-month test campaign. The Voith solution was particularly convincing in terms of cost evaluation.
The Voith e-coupler fulfills all the requirements in terms of height and weight and can be retrofitted without any problems with only two bolts to tighten. Thanks to the low number of components, the coupler is particularly wear-resistant and easy to maintain. This guarantees reliable power and data connectivity at all time
The separation of the electrical coupling from the mechanical coupling has the advantage that the e-coupler always moves at the same speed after its delayed release. So the electrical coupling and contacts are always well protected at impact speeds of up to 12 km/h.
