TugVolt autonomous railcar moves military cargo

TugVolt autonomous railcar technology was put to use by soldiers at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Mississippi to move military cargo without using a locomotive.

Intramotev reported on June 24 that soldiers had recently operated its TugVolt autonomous battery-electric freight railcar during the assessment. The St. Louis, Missouri-based company said the work took place during Operation Sentinel Justice, a large U.S. Army Reserve training exercise⁠.

The assessment also involved the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s 75th Innovation Command, the 377th Theater Sustainment Command, the Deployment Support Command and its 757th Expeditionary Rail Center, along with the Mississippi Army National Guard.

TugVolt autonomous railcar used for military cargo

Intramotev supervised the assessment and said soldiers used TugVolt as a switcher for U.S. Department of Defense railcars.

“Soldiers trained on and operated a TugVolt as a switcher for U.S. Department of Defense railcars, moving them between spurs for loading and unloading without a locomotive,”

The company said the autonomous battery-electric freight railcar was later used when military cargo reached the site by rail near the end of the exercise.

“When real-world military cargo arrived via rail in the final hours of the event, they put TugVolt to work spotting and reordering cars.”

Intramotev also noted that soldiers “quickly became proficient with the technology.”

Alex Peiffer, Intramotev’s COO and a U.S. Air Force veteran, said the exercise showed how the system could be used in a military setting.

“Sentinel Justice was a powerful display of the TugVolt’s capabilities,” said Alex Peiffer, COO of Intramotev and a U.S. Air Force veteran. “On top of the successful training of dozens of soldiers, we showed that Intramotev is ready to meet real-world military needs, just as we are for commercial customers. We’re grateful for the U.S. Army’s partnership and energized by how our technology can strengthen defense logistics, protect soldiers, and keep our forces ready.”

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Stephen Farmen, Senior Advisor at Intramotev, said placing the technology directly in soldiers’ hands could support deployment activity at power projection platforms.

“Equipping our men and women in uniform with better tools is what readiness is all about,” added Maj. Gen. (ret.) Stephen Farmen, Senior Advisor at Intramotev. “It was powerful to see soldiers, from junior enlisted to general officers, put this technology to work. Placing this capability directly in the hands of soldiers at power projection platforms enhances the Army’s ability to deploy at speed and scale, and to fill the gaps and seams at the installations that support projecting the force.”

The Army assessment took place within a broader logistics training environment. The U.S. Army described Operation Sentinel Justice as the largest training event in U.S. Army Reserve history, with about 12,000 to 15,000 soldiers and a technology evaluation across several locations, including Camp Shelby.

TugVolt also has a commercial reference point outside the military exercise. Intramotev describes the system as a retrofit kit for turning railcars into battery-electric self-propelled vehicles, while Carmeuse said its Cedarville deployment eliminated the need for a second diesel locomotive on the Bush Bay rail line.

Intramotev lists recent commercial deployments

The Army assessment followed several commercial developments for Intramotev. In April, the company announced a commercial agreement with Rail Cargo Group, the freight subsidiary of Austrian Federal Railways, alongside continued commercial expansion in the United States.

In February, Intramotev began a deployment with Watco in Illinois after reaching a commercial agreement the previous fall. In March, it also announced an agreement with R. J. Corman⁠ to deploy TugVolt technology on the 113-mile Memphis Line in Kentucky, Railway Age’s 2021 Short Line of the Year.

TugVolt is already operating in revenue service for Carmeuse Americas in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Earlier this year, Intramotev said the system had moved more than 350,000 tons of material for Carmeuse Americas in 2025.

Separately, Ray Betler, former Wabtec President and CEO, joined Intramotev’s board in March as an Independent Director.