#10 Rail Reimagined: Exploring Intramotev's Revolution in Autonomous Retrofits
About Alex Peiffer Alex Peiffer is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Intramotev, a St. Louis-based manufacturer of self-propelled battery-electric railcars. He is an adjunct professor in the Entrepreneurship department at St. Louis University Chaifetz School of Business and holds an MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Previously, he held brand management and marketing roles with large global companies including Nestle and Unilever, and served six years in the US Air Force in air cargo logistics. About Timothy Luchini Tim Luchini, PhD, is the CEO and co-founder of Intramotev. Tim has spent his career solving challenging technical problems, leading teams, and developing mobility technologies. Prior to founding Intramotev, Tim managed engineering teams at Boeing, developing solutions for defense, urban air mobility, and eVTOL (electric vehicle takeoff and landing) aircraft. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. At Intramotev, Tim oversees a team from the rail, aerospace, and automotive industries building battery-electric autonomous railcars. In his spare time, Tim teaches engineering students through a joint program between Washington University and the University of Missouri - St. Louis. About Intramotev Intramotev is a technology company focused on transforming modern freight movement by developing self-propelled, zero-emission railcar solutions that decrease costs, increase utilization and safety, and promote environmental responsibility. To achieve that, Intramotev has assembled a team of engineers and developers from the rail, aerospace and automotive industries to deploy our TugVolt and ReVolt technologies. The TugVolt is a railcar retrofit that enables independent material movement without the need for a locomotive, while the ReVolt is a retrofit that recycles waste energy in traditional trains – offering customers a 20% to 50% reduction in diesel costs. www.intramotev.com Key Takeaways Innovation Drive: Emphasizing the need for innovative technologies to sustain a 2% annual productivity growth in US rail freight. Idle Railcar Optimization: About 1.6 million US railcars, with a million idle daily, present a vast opportunity for increasing rail movement frequency. Cross-Industry Integration: Leveraging expertise from the automotive, defense, aerospace, and rail sectors enhances rail operations more efficiently than starting from scratch. Regulatory Engagement: Proactively working with regulators is key to safely integrating new and established technologies into the rail system. Autonomous Efficiency: Autonomous technology is particularly beneficial for shorter rail units, enhancing operational efficiency. Secondary Network Focus: Autonomous technologies are mainly targeted at secondary networks and crucial transit segments. Synergistic Advances: Integrating autonomous technology with long-haul train operations offers substantial operational improvements. Strategic Retrofitting: Upgrading existing rail assets, including modifying railcars to act as engines, provides significant economic benefits. Operational Milestone: The company's vehicles are actively running, achieving 1,000 miles weekly. Global Outlook: Intramotev aims for global expansion, with a keen interest in regions like Europe and Australia that have robust rail systems. Founders' Vision: The startup, founded by two childhood friends, is set to transform the rail ecosystem. www.railup.club sebastian@railup.club