Polish Company Solaris Closes €45m Deals To Supply Electric Buses To Two Swedish Public Transport Operators

THE Polish transport manufacturer Solaris, part of the CAF Group, has signed contracts that will see the company supplying electric buses to two Swedish public transport operators.

As revealed in a statement from Solaris this Friday, October 20, Nobina Stockholm, the largest public transport operator in the Nordic region, will receive 55 Urbino 15 LE electric buses from them.

Delivery is expected to begin in 2024. These class II, interurban vehicles, will subsequently operate on the different suburban routes in the Stockholm region.

As announced by the company at the end of last year in the presentation of its strategic plan, Solaris wants to expand its low-emissions leadership position at the urban level in Europe.

Solaris is developing new intercity electric bus platforms

According to Europa Press this Friday, October 20, Solaris is committed to the development of new 12m and 18m intercity electric bus platforms, where significant growth is expected for the coming years, as reported by lainformacion.com.

Nobina operates in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark, and has more than 13,000 employees in the four countries. The company’s main characteristic is its commitment to sustainability and innovation.

A subsidiary of the company, based in Stockholm, has signed a deal with Solaris to supply 55 of its Urbino 15 LE buses that have three axles and are designed with a low floor.

These vehicles are equipped with ‘great versatility’ that allows them to operate both in urban centres and on interurban routes.

At the heart of the vehicle will be a 240 kW central motor, which is powered by energy derived from Solaris High Energy batteries with a capacity of more than 550 kWh. This will allow the buses to provide a full service throughout the day and then be charged overnight in the company’s warehouses.

Designed with 52 seats, the buses will be equipped with the so-called Scandinavian package. This design adapts them to the country’s climatic conditions.

In addition, they will have the Mobileye Shield+ security system which is capable of detecting objects located in the vehicle’s blind spots. It alerts the driver to them through sound signals and messages on the dashboard.

Solaris will also supply buses to VR Kristianstad in Sweden

Solaris will also supply intercity buses to the Swedish city of Kristianstad. The Swedish company VR Kristianstad has signed a contract for the supply of 23 Solaris electric buses.

This order includes 20 Urbino 15 LE electric buses and 3 Urbino 12 electric units, both low-floor models. Delivery of the new vehicles is scheduled to take place in July 2024.

The Urbino 15 LE model is a bus designed to circulate on both urban and interurban routes, equipped with great autonomy and efficiency for the service. As for the Urbino 12 model, it is the best-known low-floor urban electric model in the Solaris zero-emission range.

These vehicles being supplied to Kristianstad will be accessible for passengers with reduced mobility. They incorporate two ramps for passengers with disabilities, as well as seats that can be accessed directly from the ground floor.

An additional feature of the vehicles will be RGB LED lighting, which will allow the color to change to green, giving the interior a modern look.

The two orders are worth €45 million

With a joint total of around €45 million for the contracts with Nobina and VR Kistianstad it consolidates Solaris’ position as the ‘European leader in zero-emission solutions’.

To date, the company has already delivered more than 2,000 electric buses powered by batteries in 21 different countries. There are also more than a thousand electric vehicles – currently in different manufacturing phases – in the order book.

Safety on all Solaris buses will be guaranteed by a monitoring system and the eMirror solution. This includes cameras instead of traditional mirrors, a design that significantly improves visibility while driving the vehicle.

The Solaris Urbino 12 electric won the prestigious European “Bus of the Year 2017” competition. In September 2018 Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. joined CAF Group, which acquired 100 per cent of the company’s shares.