Vehicle Technology Division

Profile

Our division is composed of Vehicle Dynamics, Vehicle Noise and Vibration, Vehicle and Bogie Parts Strength, Energy Systems, Traction Systems, and Braking Systems. We are tackling R&D aimed at achieving vehicle safety and reliability, ride comfort, decarbonisation and energy-saving, and labor-saving maintenance.

Introduction

Rail vehicles are used under a wide range of conditions, including not only their operational purpose, such as express or commuter services, and the routes on which they operate, but also environmental factors such as temperature, rain and snow. These vehicles must meet high safety standards to ensure they can run and stop without breaking down or derailing. At the same time, it is necessary to minimize vibration and noise in order to provide better ride comfort. To develop superior rail vehicles, it is essential to continuously advance research and development, both now and in the future.
On the one hand, operating trains requires a significant amount of energy, whilst railways are a highly energy-efficient mode of transport compared to other forms of transport. To achieve carbon neutrality, further improvements in the energy efficiency of rolling stock are required. Furthermore, as we are facing a society with a declining working-age population, it is necessary to establish new monitoring and inspection technologies to enable the maintenance of a large number of rolling stock with fewer staff, thereby reducing the labor required for maintenance. R&D is also required to address these societal challenges.
Vehicle Technology Division aims to create sustainable railway systems by conducting various R&D activities related to rail vehicles across its six research laboratories.

Laboratories and their research fields