In recent years, the world leading rolling stock manufacturers, such as Bombardier, Hitachi, Stadler, Alstom, Talgo have rolled out the diesel-electric dual-power multiple units in succession, which can run not only on electrified lines but also on non-electrified lines, offering wider applicability.
The typical dual-power multiple units abroad mainly include Class 800 and Class 802 high-speed multiple units supplied by Hitachi for the UK, S 730 high-speed multiple units jointly produced by Talgo Spain and Bombardier, Flirt hybrid multiple units from Stadler, Coradia Liner V160 hybrid multiple units from Alstom. The diesels of these hybrid multiple units are installed in the form of a power pack mounted underfloor or on the roof, or in the form of a non-passenger "diesel power car" in the middle of the trains, or in other forms. The details of these models of dual-power multiple units are described below.
Class 800 and Class 802 multiple units supplied by Hitachi for the UK are typical of the mode with the diesel power pack mounted underfloor. Among them, Class 800 multiple units have two types including 5-car formation (3M2T) and 9-car formation (5M4T). For the 5-car multiple units, the head and tail cars are equipped with pantographs, and cars 2, 3 and 4 are equipped with the diesel power packs underfloor; for the 9-car multiple units, the head and tail cars are equipped with pantographs, and cars 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 are equipped with diesel power packs, with an output power for a single power pack up to 560kW. The maximum speed in the electrified section is 201km/h, and that in the non-electrified section is 185km/h. The formation mode of Class 802 multiple units is the same as that of Class 800. The output power of the diesel power pack is increased to 700kW, and the maximum design speed is 201km/h.
S 730 multiple units supplied by Talgo for Spain is typical of the mode with diesel motor cars coupled behind electric motor cars. S 730 multiple units are upgraded from the power-concentrated high-speed EMU S 130, with a 4L9T formation mode. The motor cars at both ends are adaptive to the AC 25kV 50Hz and DC 3kV dual-voltage mode power supply. The two cars immediately adjacent to the motor cars are diesel motor cars, each equipped with one 1800kW diesel set. The train reaches a maximum speed up to 180km/h in the diesel mode, equipped with a 2000L fuel tank. S 730 has a maximum power for the complete train up to 4,800kW and a maximum speed of 250km/h under the AC conditions, and a maximum power up to 4,000kW and a maximum speed of 220km/h under the DC conditions.
Flirt series multiple units developed by Stadler is typical of the mode with a non-passenger "diesel motor car" in the middle of the trains. It is designed to insert a non-passenger "diesel motor car" in the standard EMU, with a length equal to 1/3 of the length of a common passenger car. Flirt series multi-power multiple units are available in several versions tailored to different operators, with different formation, power and speed accordingly. BTR 813 multiple units for Italy are of 3-car formation, with maximum power up to 2,600kW and a maximum speed of 160km/h in the electric mode, and maximum power up to 700kW and a maximum speed of 140km/h in the diesel mode. Class 755 multiple units for the UK are of 3-car or 4-car formations, with a maximum speed of 160km/h and maximum power up to 2,600kW in the electric mode and 1,920kW for 4-car formation in the diesel mode. Flirt multiple units for Norway are of 5-car formation, with a maximum power up to 3,000kW and a maximum speed of 200km/h in the electric mode, and a maximum power up to 1,920kW and a maximum speed of 160km/h in the diesel mode.
Coradia Liner V160 multiple units supplied by Alstom for SNCF France are typical of the mode with the diesel power pack mounted on the roof. Coradia Liner V160 dual-power multiple units are designed in two types including 4-car formation and 6-car formation, and are equipped with a 350kW diesel power pack on the roof of each car, with a single-car output power of 338kW in the diesel mode and 450kW in the electric mode, a maximum speed of 160km/h, and a power supply mode of 25kV 50Hz or 1.5kV DC.
