Electric buses from Solaris debut in Poznań

The first Solaris Urbino electric buses ordered by MPK Poznań last December were solemnly included in regular line traffic.

The inauguration of new vehicles was attended by, among others Jacek Jaśkowiak, President of Poznań, Wojciech Tulibacki, CEO of MPK Poznań and Javier Calleja, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.

In line with the contract signed between MPK Poznań transport operator and Solaris Bus & Coach S.A., a total of 21 Solaris electric buses will be delivered to Poznań. 15 of them are Solaris Urbino 18 electric articulated vehicles, the other 6 are the 12 metre-long Solaris Urbino 12 electric. The two-segment buses will be delivered to the capital of Greater Poland first, while completion of the entire contract is scheduled for February 2020.

“The first electric buses in Poznań are launched today on passenger lines. This is a very important day in the history of city's public transport,” said Jacek Jaśkowiak, President of Poznań during the ceremony. “The city focuses on the high quality of life of its citizens, and an important element of these activities is care for the quality of air. I am glad that the city transport operator, MPK Poznań company, has been consistently replacing the fleet for one that meets the highest requirements regarding emissions.”

The environmentally friendly buses selected by the Poznań-based carrier will be fitted with Solaris High Power batteries. In the case of the 12-metre Urbino vehicles, the batteries will boast a capacity of 116 kWh, for the articulated ones the capacity will be 174 kWh.

Energy storage will be adapted to fast and frequent recharging using high charging power of up to 560 kW. The electric buses will be suited for recharging by means of a roof-mounted pantograph and a classic plug-in device. Interestingly though, the models supplied to Poznań will have plug-in charging sockets on both sides of the bus, which will enable recharging of several vehicles simultaneously.

The electric buses for Poznań are low-floor vehicles, comfortable in use for people with reduced mobility efficiency and for those traveling with prams. They are equipped with an extensive passenger information system, consisting of, among others legible directional boards, internal LED displays and voice announcement of stops. For the visually impaired, the buttons are additionally marked with an inscription in Braille. To increase the comfort of travelers, the manufacturer from near Poznań equipped the buses with air-conditioning, energy-saving LED lighting and USB chargers in the passenger compartment.

“Same as in 1996 we delivered our first low-floor buses to Poznań, today we deliver the first completely emission-free electric buses for the capital of Greater Poland. I am proud of the fact that our company, which pays great attention to the development of sustainable transport, contributes to improving the quality of life of the citizens of Poznań,” said Javier Calleja, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A.

The zero emission vehicles began their inaugural courses on route 174. Their first passengers were first graders from Primary School No. 34, who, after a lesson on ecology and environmental benefits of using public transport, could experience a ride by electric buses.