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Just in time for the Fourth: New Orange and Red Line trains returned to service after T figures out how to keep their batteries from blowing up
By adamg on Mon, 07/04/2022 - 2:06pm
The MBTA announced today it's returned all the new Orange Line cars to service, along with the smaller number of new Red Line cars it has.
The T said that its engineers, working with their counterparts from manufacturer CRRC figured out that the reason an Orange Line car "experienced a failure within its battery compartment" in the Wellington car barn last month was that a temperature sensor on the battery malfunctioned, causing the battery to "overcharge for an extended duration," making it go boom.
To safely return the cars to service, a design change was made to increase airflow in the battery compartment and a modification to the temperature sensing circuitry was developed, implemented, and successfully tested over the weekend.
New cars were returned to passenger service this afternoon with the appropriate corrective actions in place. The MBTA is grateful to its customers for their patience while the vehicle engineering team worked to ensure that the new cars are performing in a safe and reliable manner.
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Comments
What are we placing the odds
What are we placing the odds at that these are out of service again before the end of the month?
So if I understand correctly,
the batteries are designed to overheat and go boom. But they will improve the ventilation and the temperature detection so it is less likely? to overheat and go boom.
Not quite
Sounds like the issue was with the sensors, not the batteries themselves.
Much like the bolt problem
The fact a temperature sensor failed is a small problem. The fact there aren’t multiple redundant temp and voltage sensors that are wired to set off all types of alarms and automatic shutoffs is the bigger problem.
Or that a temp sensor failing doesn’t throw a latching fault
Is extremely concerning. This isn’t new and very basic in software engineering. Who designed these things?!!!!
The battery shouldn't overcharge and overheat in the first place
so there's something wrong with the battery itself, too. This is a multi-component failure, as is common in many types of systems.
Desperate times require desperate measures
The older trains have had their windows kicked out or they have been spray painted. Hopefully the new trains can deal with the massive crowds tonight at Charles MGH.
they shoudve drove them to
they shoudve drove them to the longfellow at 9:00p.m. tonite and let them overheat to coincide with the finale.
*golf clap*
Well done, sir!
smaller number of red line cars
Did they ever get above six red line cars (one train's worth) at any one time? I may not check the new train tracker daily, but I probably check it two days in three (when I know the cars are in service at least), and I've never seen more than one red line train's worth of cars in service.
What are the odds the cars will be out of service again before the end of the month?
On the Red Line