Seattle Streetcar tests battery-powered vehicles on First Hill Extension

Testing along the Seattle Streetcar's new First Hill Line continued earlier this week, when streetcars completed a low-speed test from the maintenance facility yard into downtown Seattle, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The vehicles, which utilize a rechargeable battery system known as the on-board energy storage system, were able to operate on track with and without overhead wire.

Tests along the line began at the end of April, according to the department's blog.

Slated to open by the end of June, the 2.5-mile First Hill Extension will make 10 stops in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Seattle's South Lake Union Streetcar, which operates along a 1.3-mile line slightly west of the First Hill segment, opened for service in 2007.