Innovative company unveils futuristic train that could reshape rail travel: 'A great achievement'
SITAV, an Italian company traditionally known for servicing trains, just unveiled something that could reshape how we think about rail travel: its first hydrogen-powered locomotive.
The sleek, all-Italian prototype debuted at the Hydrogen Expo in Piacenza, marking SITAV's official entry into clean train manufacturing.
"A great achievement that brings our company into the galaxy of rolling stock manufacturers," the company said, per Fuel Cells Works.
Unlike diesel-powered trains that emit harmful pollution and require costly fuel and maintenance, this new locomotive runs on hydrogen fuel — producing only water vapor. It's designed with efficiency, safety, and flexibility in mind, featuring energy-recovering brakes, low-pressure refueling, remote diagnostics, and a modular layout that allows it to be customized for different rail lines.
SITAV has already secured preliminary regulatory approvals and plans to showcase the train again in the fall at Expo Ferroviaria in Milan.
Hydrogen-powered rail is gaining momentum around the world. Stadler Rail recently set a world record when one of its hydrogen trains traveled over 1,700 miles without refueling. Meanwhile, Great Western Railway in the United Kingdom is testing fast-charging, battery-powered trains — proof that the industry is moving full steam ahead toward clean energy.
This shift could have a huge impact. The transportation sector accounts for over 16% of global carbon emissions, and most rail lines still use diesel. Hydrogen trains could help reduce pollution, noise, and long-term costs for operators — all while improving air quality for nearby communities.
Looking to reduce your own travel impact? Cleaner, smarter travel options are becoming more available every day. You can start by choosing low-impact alternatives or making your next car an electric vehicle.
Do you think EVs will dominate our roads in 15 years?
No way
Absolutely yes
Only in some areas
I'm not sure
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
New report shows which state would lose 42,000 jobs if budget bill passes: 'Derail a generational economic transformation'
As the U.S. Senate debates a highly controversial bill, thousands of clean energy jobs in Georgia could be on the chopping block. On May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, by a vote of 215-214. While the bill has been hailed by Republican lawmakers as an important stepping stone for extended tax cuts for individuals and small businesses, it also aims to greatly reduce the Inflation Reduction Act's green energy tax credits. Many of these tax credits can be used to offset the costs of home solar panel installation. EnergySage can make it easy and painless to find solar installation estimates and compare quotes thanks to their free tools. If passed, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would not only hinder credits for electric vehicles and energy-efficient products, but it would also endanger many solar power and wind farm projects across the country. According to a report from Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the passing of H.R. 1 would ultimately cost the state up to 42,000 jobs. All told, 51 new clean energy projects totaling over $28 billion in funding have been announced in Georgia since the passing of the IRA. These projects include solar manufacturing, EV production, and battery manufacturing. In a statement to EnergySage, Warnock emphasized the importance of many of these clean energy projects. "Georgia businesses and workers agree that we should protect investments that are spurring good-paying manufacturing jobs across the state," he said. As one of the leading experts in reporting across the solar industry, EnergySage has followed this development since H.R. 1 was first introduced. Although many states have directly benefited from the IRA, Georgia has made the most of it. According to EnergySage, the state has received around $4.50 in private investment for every $1 of federal funding. "We should not be sacrificing Georgia jobs for tax cuts for folks who are already well off, and we cannot allow political games to derail a generational economic transformation that is already putting people to work and creating economic opportunity," added Warnock. If the Investment Tax Credit were successfully eliminated, it would mean that homeowners would need to complete their solar installations by the end of the year to get the 30% tax credit. While the elimination of the ITC will rely on the Senate passing the bill, it may be wise to take advantage of incentives before it's too late. To help, you can utilize EnergySage's free services, which can save you up to $10,000 in incentives for solar purchases and installations. EnergySage even offers a mapping tool that shows the average cost of a home solar panel system in each state as well as details on solar panel incentives. When combined, they can not only help you get the best price for rooftop solar panels but also make use of all of the incentives that are available in your area. Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pope Leo XIV marks feast day as Vatican launches campaign to help erase its $57-68 million deficit
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Sunday celebrated a special feast day traditionally used by the Catholic Church to drum up donations from the faithful, with the Vatican under the first American pope rolling out a new campaign to urge ordinary Catholics to help bail out the deficit-ridden Holy See. Leo celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, marking the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and thanked donors who have contributed, using the language of the publicity campaign to say their financial support was a sign of union with his young pontificate. In churches around the world, Masses on the July 29 feast day often include a special collection for Peter's Pence, a fund which both underwrites the operations of the central government of the Catholic Church and pays for the pope's personal acts of charity. With a promotional video, poster, QR code and website soliciting donations via credit card, PayPal, bank transfer and post office transfer, the Vatican is betting this year that an American-style fundraising pitch under the Chicago-born Leo will do more to help keep the Holy See bureaucracy afloat and erase its 50 million to 60 million euro ($57-68 million) structural deficit. The video features footage of Leo's emotional first moments as pope, when he stepped out onto the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica and later choked up as he received the fisherman's ring of the papacy. With an evocative soundtrack in the background, the video superimposes a message, available in several languages, urging donations to Leo via the Peter's Pence collection. 'With your donation to Peter's Pence, you support the steps of the Holy Father,' it says. 'Help him proclaim the Gospel to the world and extend a hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Support the steps of Pope Leo XIV. Donate to Peter's Pence.' At the end of his noon blessing Sunday, Leo used the same language about his first steps to say the Peter's Pence fund is 'a sign of communion with the pope and participation with his Apostolic Ministry." "From the heart, I thank those who with their gifts are supporting my first steps as the successor of St. Peter,' he said. The fund has been the source of scandal in recent years, amid revelations that the Vatican's secretariat of state mismanaged its holdings through bad investments, incompetent management and waste. The recent trial over the Vatican's bungled investment in a London property confirmed that the vast majority of Peter's Pence contributions had funded the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls, not papal charity initiatives as many parishioners had been led to believe. Between the revelations and the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed churches and canceled out the traditional pass-the-basket collection on June 29, Peter's Pence donations fell to 43.5 million euros in 2022 — a low not seen since 1986 — that was nevertheless offset the same year by other investment income and revenue to the fund. Donations rose to 48.4 million euros (about $56.7 million) in 2023 and hit 54.3 million euros (nearly $63.6 million) last year, according to the Peter's Pence annual report issued last week. But the fund incurred expenses of 75.4 million euros ($88.3 million) in 2024, continuing the trend in which the fund is exhausting itself as it covers the Holy See's budgetary shortfalls. On top of the budget deficit, the Vatican is also facing a 1 billion euro (about $1.17 billion) shortfall in its pension fund that Pope Francis, in the months before he died, warned was unable in the medium term to fulfill its obligations. Unlike countries, the Holy See doesn't issue bonds or impose income tax on its residents to run its operations, relying instead on donations, investments and revenue generated by the Vatican Museums, and sales of stamps, coins, publications and other initiatives. For years, the United States has been the greatest source of donations to Peter's Pence, with U.S. Catholics contributing around a quarter of the total each year. Vatican officials are hoping that under Leo's pontificate, with new financial controls in place and an American math major running the Holy See, donors will be reassured that their money won't be misspent or mismanaged. 'This is a concrete way to support the Holy Father in his mission of service to the universal Church,' the Vatican's economy ministry said in a press release last week announcing the annual collection and new promotional materials surrounding it. 'Peter's Pence is a gesture of communion and participation in the Pope's mission to proclaim the Gospel, promote peace, and spread Christian charity.' ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
G-7 agrees to exclude U.S. companies from 15% minimum tax
June 29 (UPI) -- Group of Seven nations agreed to exempt U.S. companies from a 15% minimum corporate tax rate, the countries said in a joint statement. The nonbinding deal was announced Saturday but still requires approval from the 38-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that established the 2021 agreement on taxing companies. G-7 nations are part of the OECED. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had proposed a "side-by-side solution" for American-headquartered companies that would be exempt from the Income Inclusion Rule and Undertaxed Profits Rule "in recognition of the existing U.S. minimum tax rules to which they are subject." The massive spending bill now being considered in Congress originally included a "revenge tax" that would have imposed a levy of up to 20% on investments from countries that taxed U.S. companies. "I have asked the Senate and House to remove the Section 899 protective measure from consideration in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill," Bessent wrote in a multi-post thread on X on Thursday. The House has approved the massive legislation and the Senate is considering it. "It is an honorable compromise as it spares us from the automatic retaliations of Section 899 of the Big, Beautiful Bill," Italian Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti told local media. "We are not claiming victory, but we obtained some concessions as the U.S. pledged to engage in OECD negotiations on fair taxation," an unnamed French official told Politico Europe. The official called the "revenge tax" a potentially "huge burden for French companies." Trump has criticized this provision because he said it would limit sovereignty and send U.S. tax revenues to other countries. "The Trump administration remains vigilant against all discriminatory and extraterritorial foreign taxes applied against Americans," Bessent wrote Thursday. Trump has imposed a July 9 deadline for U.S. trading partners to lower taxes on foreign goods, threatening high duties on the worst offenders, including 50% on goods from the 27 European Union members. In April, a baseline tariff was imposed on most U.S. trading partners, with higher rates on certain companies and products. In 2021, nearly 140 countries agreed to tax multinational companies at the 15% minimum, regardless of where they were headquartered. In late April, the European Union, Britain, Japan and Canada agreed to exempt the United States from the 15% minimum tax on companies. "Delivery of a side-by-side system will facilitate further progress to stabilize the international tax system, including a constructive dialogue on the taxation of the digital economy and on preserving the tax sovereignty of all countries," the joint statement read. The agreement, according to the statement, would ensure that any substantial risks identified "with respect to the level playing field, or risks of base erosion and profit shifting, are addressed to preserve the common policy objectives of the side-by-side system." The G-7 includes Britain, France, Germany, Italy in Europe, as well as Canada, Japan and U.S. Before 2014, the group was known as the G-8 until Russia was expelled after annexing the Crimea region of Ukraine. The chairs of the House and Senate committees responsible for tax policy cheered the agreement. "We applaud President Trump and his team for protecting the interests of American workers and businesses after years of congressional Republicans sounding the alarm on the Biden Administration's unilateral global tax surrender under Pillar 2," Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a press release. The agreement also, however, has its critics. "The U.S. is trying to exempt itself by arm-twisting others, which would make the tax deal entirely useless," Markus Meinzer, director of policy at the Tax Justice Network, told Politico Europe. "A ship with a U.S.-sized hole in its hull won't float." Sign in to access your portfolio
