- The electric train is built by Siemens and is known as the Mireo Plus B.
- Power comes courtesy of lithium-titanium-oxide batteries from Toshiba.
- Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state has leased the train to Tesla.
Tesla has started operating a train in Germany, fittingly dubbed the Giga Train. However, not all is as it may seem, as this is not a train that the electric carmaker has designed, developed, or built. It doesn’t even own it.
The train in question was first showcased in early August and is used exclusively to transport employees at the Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin. It runs between the existing Erkner station and stops at Tesla Süd, a new station at the factory. It is expected to eventually transport 4,500 employees to the site every day and will help to reduce demand on parking at the plant and should also take some cars off local roads.
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Like Tesla’s cars, the train is battery-powered and can be charged on an electrified track or run on battery power alone while running on standard tracks. It has 120 seats and can transport up to 500 people per trip. However, Tesla has not really ventured into the world of train manufacturing, despite what the name might have led you to think.
You see, this is actually a Siemens Mireo Plus B train. These trains have been around for a few years now and run on several other tracks in Germany. It uses lithium-titanium-oxide batteries from Japanese producer Toshiba and can travel up to 120 km (74 miles) on battery power alone. The train is then operated by Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB), a private regional railway company in Berlin and Brandenburg, and has a similar white, yellow, and black paint scheme to others operated by it. The main distinguishing feature of Tesla’s one is the Giga Train text running down the sides.
German publication SWR reports that Tesla does not own the train. Instead, it is owned by the German state of Baden-Württemberg and is actually being leased to the car manufacturer.
