Thanks to large orders at home and abroad, the Polish manufacturer claims it is now the largest supplier of electric buses in Europe
On 12 August the Bolechowo-based manufacturer Solaris signed a deal with Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Miejskiej (PKM), the transport operator in the Polish city of Katowice, for the supply of five Urbino 12 electric buses.
This follows the supply of five Urbino 18 models to the city earlier in the year, as well as an ongoing order for 25 Urbino 12 diesel vehicles currently being fulfilled, and another for two electric Urbino 8.9 LE models to the Katowice’s Regional Blood Donation Center.
The new buses will feature a three door layout, with seats for 26 passengers and a total capacity of 80, and will be fitted with air-conditioning, CCTV, a reversing camera and a comprehensive passenger information system.
The buses will be driven by a 160kW centrally mounted motor, powered by a set of Solaris High Energy batteries with a total capacity of 250kWh. Charging will be via cables or an inverted pantograph mounted on a mast overhead.
This represents the 100th order for the Polish manufacturer, which now claims to be the largest electric bus producer in Europe in terms of orders received.
Other significant orders recently have come from Berlin, Warsaw and Milan, who alone are taking a total of 470 electric buses from the manufacturer between them.
Over 700 of its Urbino range are now on the streets of 17 countries across Europe, the first having been delivered to Klagenfurt, Austria, in 2013.
