Energy systems professor to work on electrified locomotive research

Yue Cao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, will play a significant role in a new $1.5M U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E award on LOCOMOTIVES – Lowering CO2: Models to Optimize Train Infrastructure, Vehicles, and Energy Storage. Cao will help develop electric propulsion and grid/charging infrastructure models. The project will deliver an open-source tool for futuristic (20-30 years) railroad planning that involves electrified locomotives operating from multi-physics energy storage. This is a collaborative effort with North Carolina State University.