In 1903 we had the first powered flight. In 1969 man walked on the moon. Just 66 years later.
Two world wars and a political situation drove that. Without a decent war, or an ideology race, tech hasn't really progressed that fast since. We had pistons, turbines and rockets in 1945, we've still using them
77 years later. There is no pressing need for a massive technological leap. It's just incremental.
so there is most definitely an incentive for GE or EMD to continue their own R&D.
“Looking to the future,” Wabtec says it plans to “accelerate the shift to alternative clean energy solutions, through zero-emission hydrogen-powered locomotives.”
Their future is not with batteries.