Press releases

2019/12/11

THE CAF GROUP COMPANY SOLARIS AWARDED CONTRACTS TO SUPPLY ZERO- EMISSION BUSES TO SEVERAL EUROPEAN CITIES.

Over the last few days, this bus manufacturer and part of the CAF Group has concluded various contracts to supply eco-friendly units to cities in Estonia, Poland, Norway, Hungary and Romania for a total amount in excess of EUR 70 million.

Major contract for buses powered by compressed natural gas in Tallin

Solaris has won the tender to supply 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered urban buses for the capital city of Estonia. In late 2020, Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS, the city's operator will receive 60 Solaris Urbino 12 buses and 40 Solaris Urbino 18 articulated buses. With a total value of EUR 27 million, this is the second largest contract to be awarded to this Polish manufacturer for vehicles of this type.

For the 12 and 18 metre models, the heart of these new vehicles will be a 239 kW engine converted to run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This engine will be equipped with a cold-start function to facilitate start-up at low exterior temperatures, while the driving system will feature automatic transmission to guarantee optimum drive comfort. The CNG storage tanks, five per vehicle, will be roof-mounted and with a capacity of 315 litres each.

The buses are also noted for their great passenger capacity, with room for more than 80 passengers in the Urbino 12 model, while the Urbino 18 will be able to carry up to 150 passengers.

The presence of the eco-friendly Solaris vehicles in Tallin dates back to 2002 and, since then, the company has supplied more than 50 trolleybuses. This contract makes Estonia the fourteenth European country to be supplied with Solaris CNG-powered buses, joining others such as Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Italy, Holland, Spain and France.

The Polish city of Lublin selects Solaris for the supply of electric vehicles

ZTM (Zarz?d Transportu Miejskiego), the public transport authority in the city of Lublin, has signed a contract with Solaris for the supply of 20 electric buses and 15 trolleybuses. The amount of the transaction exceeds EUR 25 million, with the planned delivery of the units spread out over a period from November 2020 (5 trolleybuses) to April 2021 (10 trolleybuses) and September 2021 (20 electric buses).

The Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses will be equipped with 116 kWh Solaris High Power batteries adapted for frequent rapid charging. The charging process will take just a few minutes through the roof-mounted pantograph, while the plug-in connectors will be used for night charging at the bus station. Moreover, thanks to the roof-mounted PV panels, it will be possible to optimise the energy used by the various bus systems.

In addition to the supply of vehicle, Solaris will also install the necessary infrastructure, comprising the mounting of four overhead pantograph chargers, designed for rapid charging during the day, as well as ten charging points for the simultaneous charging of two buses, and two mobile chargers located at the bus depot.

The fifteen Solaris Trollino18 articulated buses will also be equipped with Solaris High Power batteries, to allow the vehicles to run with no connection to the overhead cables in the event of a power failure or a change of route.

All the units will be equipped with an air conditioning system, eco-LED lighting, USB charging ports for mobile devices, as well as closed-circuit TV to record both the vehicle interior as well as its front and rear, thereby guaranteeing greater in-service security.

With projects in 18 countries, totalling 800 electric buses, Solaris is currently the European leader in the production and sale of electric vehicles. Specifically, in Poland it has now supplied 118 electric buses to 16 cities, added to which are the contracts awarded this year for Warsaw (130 buses), Poznan (21 buses) and this latest contract for Lublin. As a result, over the next few years, the number of electric vehicles made by Solaris and running in Poland will practically triple.

Solaris signs its first trolleybus contract for Norway

Solaris has also concluded a contract with the operator Keolis Norge AS for the supply of ten Solaris Trollino 18 articulated trolleybuses for the city of Bergen, the second largest in Norway, known as the "gateway to the fjords" and included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage cities. The contract is for EUR 8 million, with the first deliveries planned for September 2020.

These zero-emission units, which will run on the 7.5 km of Bergen's only trolleybus line, will be powered by an electric motor while also being equipped with traction batteries to make it possible to cover a distance of more than 11 kilometres with no need to connect to the catenary system. These batteries will be charged while the vehicle is in motion. Additionally, the buses will be equipped with a special insulation package for enhanced thermal comfort and reduced energy consumption in severe weather conditions.

These are the first trolleybuses to be supplied by this Polish manufacturer to Norway, although they are not the first in Scandinavia. Solaris, has already supplied trolleybuses to the Swedish city of Landskrona which, together with Bergen, are the only two Scandinavian cities to use trolleybuses in their public transport systems.

Electric and hybrid buses for Hungary and Romania

Finally, we would like to mention two more contracts recently won by Solaris. Specifically, the supply of 10 electric buses with five charging stations for the Hungarian city of Paks, being the first electric buses to be supplied by Solaris to this Magyar country where, to date, the company has already delivered 150 vehicles, almost 100 of which were trolleybuses, mainly for the capital city of Budapest.

On the other hand, the Romanian city of Satu Mare has also selected Solaris for the supply of 11 hybrid buses, with the possibility of 6 additional vehicles. The presence of Solaris in Romania dates back to 2002 and, since then, the company has supplied almost 250 buses and trolleybuses to a number of towns and cities there.