European leader in mining locomotive electronics
Over 100 locomotives delivered across 8 countries. In-house R&D, ATEX, Li-ion modernisation.
Three types of mining locomotives — one platform
The same drive and control family scales from pure trolley to hybrid. Topology: catenary or on-board charger → DC bus → UNIFREM/NEXIFREM traction inverter → motors, with NEXIBOOST bidirectional DC-DC ↔ battery + LOKO BMS on the energy side.
Battery
Fully battery-powered — no catenary. Suited for short hauls, maintenance and yard moves.
Trolley
Classic 250–600 V DC catenary. Most economical for long, regular routes.
Hybrid
Catenary + battery. Brake-energy recuperation, voltage support, ride-through of short outages.
Why VONSCH?
Complete solution for your locomotive
Traction inverters, BMS, battery modules, chargers, diagnostics and testing equipment — designed and manufactured under one roof. Ex ib and Ex d ATEX certified for explosive atmospheres.
Traction inverters
11–250 kW, output frequency up to 200 Hz, motors 0–250 kW. ATEX variants for explosive atmospheres.
NEXIBOOST DC-DC
Bidirectional 4-switch buck-boost, SiC (ROHM), efficiency ≥ 98 %, IP54. Bridge between DC bus and battery in hybrid systems.
LOKO BMS — Battery Management
Charge control, cell balancing, protections, integration with main controller (Modbus RTU/TCP, CAN).
Battery modules
Our own VONSCH LV01–LV04 range (NMC and LFP) with integrated BMS, or 3rd party battery integration to customer specification.
Traction battery chargers
Modular, parallel-stackable. SiC or IGBT
Diagnostics
Crash logger, camera safety system, impact and event diagnostics.
Quality control
Functional testing of inverters, BMS and battery packs before shipment. Processes per ISO 9001.
Hybrid locomotives — 4 operating modes
Catenary-only
Pantograph powers the motors directly; battery idles at target SOC.
Hybrid boost
Catenary and battery together — for peak loads and voltage support.
Battery-only
Workshop moves, catenary gaps, short manoeuvres.
Recuperation
Braking energy is routed back to the battery or to the grid — no resistor burning.
Selected references
AE 60 — Pb-acid to Li-ion modernisation
Refurbishment of the original AE 60 locomotive replacing Pb-acid batteries with modern Li-ion VONSCH LV01 modules. Original 80 kVA inverter retained, battery 340 Ah / 332 V, motors 2×37 kW.
Tier-1 Australia — hybrid loco fleet 2026
6 hybrid locomotives in operation since April 2026. 600 V DC bus, 2 × 110 kW UNIFREM 230 350 traction inverters, brake-boost to 720 V, custom LTO battery (3rd party, VONSCH integration). VONSCH supplies traction drives, NEXIBOOST DC-DC, LMC controller, brake resistors, HMI and service tooling. Compliant with EN 50124/50125/45545/50155.
ET 14-900 — tandem operation
125 kVA traction inverter for ET 14-900 locomotive with tandem operation support (two coupled units), camera safety system and crash logger for impact diagnostics. 250 V DC overhead line.
AE 90 ATEX — explosive atmosphere
110 kVA inverter in ATEX certified Ex ib + Ex d design for a coal mine with methane explosion hazard. Battery 332 V / 620 Ah, motors 2×45 kW, frequency 0–120 Hz.
EMC testing and validation
Every locomotive undergoes EMC measurement and validation in our testing facility before shipment. In-house infrastructure shortens time-to-deploy and guarantees compliance.
Traction system architecture
The complete system consists of the following blocks delivered under one brand:
- Power source — overhead line (250–275 V DC) or battery pack (Li-ion VONSCH LV01)
- BMS — charge control, cell balancing, protections, integration with main controller
- Traction inverter — DC to 3-phase AC conversion for asynchronous motors, 11–250 kW, output up to 200 Hz
- Asynchronous motors — power 0–250 kW, typically 2 driving axles
- Diagnostics — camera system, crash logger, impact and event diagnostics
- Charger — modular, SiC or IGBT, Modbus RTU/TCP, CAN, custom design
All blocks are engineered to integrate seamlessly. The customer receives one complete system — not a collection of independent components.
Standards and partnership
Drives: IEC 61800-2/-3/-5-1 · EN 13849-1 PL c STO · EN 15595 (wheel-slip).
Traction: IEC 60322 · EN 50163 · GMG Recommended Practices for Battery EVs in Underground Mining (v3, 2022).
Batteries: UN 38.3 transport.
Hybrid locos (tier-1 AU): EN 50124 / 50125 / 45545 / 50155.
Lifecycle: 10+ years of product support, no-EOL components policy, long-term obsolescence management on power semiconductors and control PCBs.
Wider traction experience
Beyond mining locomotives we have completed projects extending our traction expertise:
- AE 30.1 — Novorossiysk, Russia: additional 45 kVA mining inverter with 195 Ah / 332 V battery.
- LEA — the first Slovak electric car (cooperation with WUSAM Zvolen): max speed 75 km/h, battery 80 V, 3×148 A.
- MVA — electric trolley (cooperation with Chemes Humenné): 30 km/h, battery 80 V.
Our 2016 motto still holds: "Solutions of power electronics without compromises."