AS 7655 Wayside Electrical Charging Interfaces for Battery Electric Rolling Stock

The purpose of this Standard is to specify the requirements for wayside electrical charging interfaces for battery electric powered rolling stock within the ANZ rail industry to assist RSO’s in developing, designing, acquiring, testing and integrating battery electric rail vehicles into their fleets as part of industry wide decarbonization initiatives.

• Battery electric rail vehicle (BERV) technologies are evolving at a rapid rate in response to global decarbonization initiatives.
• AS 7655 fills a gap for the rail industry as no charging interface Standards currently exist.
• This Standard provides optionality for RSOs to choose their preferred method(s) whilst aligning BERV OEM solutions.

Standards development to incorporate zero emission technologies is critical for ensuring that the industry remains competitive and ready for any mandated/legislated requirements by being ahead of the curve and leading the rail industry to a more environmentally sustainable future.

In the ANZ rail industry, RTO’s are already acquiring battery electric locomotives and/or have projects underway for modifying existing fleet. Harmonizing the approach for charging interfaces provides a more sustainable outcome than undertaking bespoke interface solutions.

This Standard provides significant interoperability benefits by ensuring a consistent approach to electrical charging interfaces, so that all users of battery electric locomotives can “plug in” or “connect to” to charging points across the networks.

• Interoperability
• Electrical safety, i.e. harm to persons
• Damage to infrastructure by rolling stock
• Damage to rolling stock from charging interface

Implementation of AS 7655 is dependent on the status/progress of an RTO to be developing/acquiring battery electric rolling stock.
To implement this Standard the following approach is recommended:

1. Review AS 7655 against internal applicable standards and BERV vehicle supplier specifications.
2. Identify common areas and variances.
3. Where commonality exists, and using the organizations change management process, change requirements to reference AS 7655. For example, change a requirement for a part to ‘Design shall comply with AS 7655’.
4. Where a variance occurs, assess whether AS 7655 provides better safety and/or interoperability outcome. This assessment must be measured against the organizations risk profile and SFAIRP argument.
5. If AS 7655 results in an improved safety and/or interoperability outcome, amend organizational standard to reference AS 7655 (in line with the organizations change management process).

If the organizations internal standards or BERV supplier specifications are assessed as providing better outcomes, AS 7655 can still be referenced, however a derogation or deviation statement to AS 7655 may be required within the organisation’s standards.