General Electric (NYSE: GE [1]) today introduced a first-of-its-kind hybrid road locomotive in Los Angeles.

GE’s Evolution® Hybrid locomotive was shown today at LA’s historic Union Station to demonstrate the progress that GE’s Transportation business is making in developing a freight hybrid locomotive that is capable of recycling thermal energy as stored power in on-board batteries.

This demonstration hybrid unit is one of many technologies being featured at the company's Ecomagination event in L.A. for rail industry to reduce smog-causing emissions, including Nitrous Oxide emissions, and particulate matter.

Ecomagination is GE’s initiative to bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet their most pressing environmental challenges.

The 4,400 horsepower hybrid diesel-electric prototype features a series of innovative batteries that capture and store energy dissipated during dynamic braking.

While the energy stored in the batteries will reduce fuel consumption and emissions by perhaps 10 percent, Katherine Brass, ecomagination program manager for GE's Energy division, noted to a crowd at Cleantech 2007 yesterday that the locomotive is expected to save a year's worth of fuel over its lifetime.

In addition to reduced emissions, a hybrid will operate more efficiently in higher altitudes and up steep inclines, the company expects.

Before the GE hybrid locomotive is offered commercially, the engineering team will continue work and analysis on the lead-free rechargeable batteries and control systems.

Following lab testing, GE will produce pre-production units for customer field validation purposes.

GE is somewhat late for low emissions locomotive bragging rights. In February, National Railway Equipment Co., headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Ill., announced new low emissions Genset switcher locomotives for use in rail yards. See New ultra-low emission locomotives go to work in Los Angeles [2].

Yet GE, also today, reaffirmed that green really does pay, reporting that revenues under its ecomagination initiative surged past $12 billion in 2006, up 20% from 2005, while its order backlog rose to $50 billion.