The Swiss Federal Railways, SBB, has commissioned SMA Railway Technology with the delivery of static inverters for the modernisation of their EuroCity passenger cars. This is the largest order in the history of SMA Railway. From 2009 to 2014 a total of 240 passenger cars will be equipped with SMA’s MEE-NTLD static inverters, which are multi-voltage capable.

In the SBB’s extensive modernisation programme the EuroCity coaches will be rebuilt so that they can be employed for another 25 years in national and international long-distance transit. Part of this is equipping the vehicles with new, multi-voltage capable static inverters from SMA Railway; these generate the appropriate voltage for consumers in the coach from the different contact line voltages which may be found in Europe. In this way they make possible, for example, the use of air-conditioning or the availability of electric outlets in regional and long-distance trains.

From a very early stage SMA Railway Technology specialised in the development and manufacture of multiple-voltage capable static inverters that could adapt to the variety of demands found in international railway travel due to their compact and modular design. All development and production phases take place at the Kassel factory. The first SMA static inverters will be delivered to the SBB works in Olten for installation in early 2009.