Electric Powersource

There are a few types of motorized rail vehicles with electric powertrains , depending on how they get electrical power :

• Wire-Electric - Drawing electrical power from overhead wires , via a pantograph connection
• Battery-Electric - Drawing electrical power from onboard rechargeable batteries
• Diesel-Electric - Generating electrical power onboard, with an internal combustion engine

While their visual and auditory presence may be vastly different from one another, all these types of vehicles use similar drivetrains for propulsion - traction motors powered by electricity.

Battery-powered vehicles need to be periodically charged .