EKIDE

EKIDE, a consolidated company in the automotive and railway rolling stock engineering sector, looks for new ways to develop and manufacture new products for their subsequent assessment in bespoke testing.

The rail sector faces a clear challenge: the need to make vehicles lighter in order to reduce energy consumption and make them more sustainable.

This means finding innovative solutions that reduce their weight without compromising safety, comfort or performance and then validating them properly.

“And this is where TECNALIA comes in. What could be more unique than putting a train car to the test?”, says José Manuel Hidalgo, head of the Structural Safety Laboratory at TECNALIA.

“In this solution, we have included composites inside the rolling stock, replacing conventional materials. As a result, we have lightened the construction systems without compromising their performance”, indicates Ander Uralde, Product and Process Manager at EKIDE.

To verify this, we have accompanied EKIDE in this performance assessment process by carrying out fire reaction and resistance tests, acoustic insulation tests and a series of mechanical tests on the different railway rolling stock systems.

Thanks to the joint work between EKIDE and TECNALIA, we have taken a key step towards more sustainable transport by developing an innovative solution with a dual positive impact: economic and social.:

• EKIDE: “On the one hand, the chances of being awarded projects have been increased as a result of meeting the specifications of companies and countries that prioritise energy efficiency in the railway sector”.
• TECNALIA: “On the other hand, making railway rolling stock lighter reduces energy consumption and CO2 emissions, fostering sustainability without affecting passenger safety and comfort”.