The first electric buses from Solaris in France
By the end of this year, two Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE electric buses will arrive in French city of Frontignon, located on the south coast of the country. The emission free vehicles will use the traditional plug-in technology to charge their 160 kWh batteries. France will therefore become the eight European country to benefit from the state of the art, most ecological and technically sophisticated products from Solaris.
Two emission free and astonishingly quiet Urbino 8,9 LE buses will be delivered to Frontignon in the middle of December. The city transport operator, Thau Agglo, decided to purchase the buses after the positive tests of the 8,9 meter Solaris buses which took place in the city in the beginning of 2017. Both of the buses will be equipped with 160 kWh High Energy batteries that will be charged by a 80 kWh charger, delivery of which was a part of the contract. 160 kWh central motors will be the source of the drive in the battery buses. They will ensure the dynamic and comfortable driving of the vehicles.
Both buses will be equipped with several comfort and safety enhancing features, such as air conditioning, ecological LED lightening and monitoring system. The total amount of battery buses contracted by Solaris, including the two for Frontignon, has risen to 116. That puts the Polish manufacturer in the European top, regarding the electric buses sales.
The environmentally friendly public transport was at the center of Solaris’ interest since the very beginning of its operation. The company has invested heavily in the development of electromobility by introducing new and more ecologically-friendly technologies, from trolleybuses, hybrid buses, trams, to fully electric buses.
The culmination of these efforts was the ‘Bus of the Year 2017’ title, won by the new Solaris Urbino 12 electric bus.
Urbino 8.9 LE electric
The first Solaris Urbino electric celebrated its premiere at the 2011 Busworld exhbition in Kortrijk, Belgium. It then underwent a series of tests and demonstrations in a number of European cities, which confirmed its excellent characteristics and reliability.
With the ability to adjust the charging system of the bus to an operator’s or city’s infrastructure, the electric Urbino fits in any urban environment.
It traverses narrow streets swiftly and silently, and keeps the air fresh and clean in crowded city centers. The different battery sizes and other customisations offered by Solaris enable the bus’s range to be tailored to the requirements of virtually any route.
This further optimises the purchase cost of the vehicle, operating costs and the number of people that can be carried.
