noun
multiple-unit system; distributed power system
Railway term for a system where power is distributed across multiple cars rather than concentrated in a single locomotive.
日本の新幹線は動力分散方式を採用している。
Japan's Shinkansen uses a distributed power system.
動力集中方式 is the opposite system where power is concentrated in a locomotive, while 動力分散方式 distributes power among multiple cars.
Compound of 動力 (power), 分散 (distribution), and 方式 (system). A modern technical term.