CZECH REPUBLIC: Škoda Group has sent the first 15Ev3 battery-electric multiple unit for trials at the Velim test centre ahead of deployment in the Moravskoslezský region.
The BEMU which arrived at the test centre on May 2 is based on the Class 650.2 RegioPanter design used by national operator České Dráhy. It can operate under 3 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz electrification, and has a lithium-titanium-oxide battery which can be charged from the overhead or from an external plug-in supply.
The two-car trainset has a capacity of 160 passengers.
In 2022 ČD announced plans to use BEMUs on a partly-electrified circular route from Ostrava to Bohumín, Český Těšín and back to Ostrava via Frýdek-Místek, as well as on the Ostrava – Studénka – Štramberk route.
