However, for short runs of between 500 to 1000 m through the historic medieval city centers, where catenaries are not permitted, the vehicles will be powered by a 576 V Saft Ni-MH battery system developed to offer excellent power storage in a compact, maintenance-free package.
Therefore, Translohr needed an on-board traction battery capable of providing sufficient power for travel over distances of up to one km in areas where catenaries cannot be installed, while also being compact enough for installation in the vehicle roof.
Therefore, Alstom needed an onboard traction battery capable of providing sufficient power for travel over the sections of track places where catenaries are not available.
The new hybrid trams, due to commence service in 2007, on line 1 of Nice's new tramway system, in the south of France, will be able to switch their source of traction power between overhead catenaries and the on-board batteries for wire-free operation in the downtown area.
They will be responsible for installing fixtures along the
catenaries - the sweeping curves of the bridge superstructure - and the bridge's towers.