17 articulated buses with a mild hybrid drive to roll out onto the streets of Gliwice by the end of this year

On 17 April, Solaris Bus & Coach and the municipal carrier PKM in the city of Gliwice signed a contract for the purchase of 17 articulated buses with a mild hybrid drive. The deliveries of the Solaris Urbino 18 mild hybrid buses are slated for December this year.

The municipal transport company (PKM) in Gliwice has opted to purchase 17 low-emission articulated buses with a hybrid drive. The purchase of these environmentally friendly buses is a result of the strategy of the carrier in Gliwice to gradually renew its fleet. The Solaris Urbino 18 mild hybrid buses will be delivered by the end of this year.

Vehicles of this mild hybrid type are an attractive proposition in the low-emission class of buses. The system applied in these vehicles consists of an internal combustion engine supported by an electric machine working as a generator of electric current. The machine takes the strain off the combustion engine, which results in fuel savings and lower exhaust emissions. The mild hybrid system is based on energy recovery technology, i. e. during braking energy is recovered and stored in an energy storage facility. It is used when the engine is under greater strain, e. g. during acceleration. At that moment, the machine acts as an electric motor. As a result, mild hybrids release fewer pollutants and are more environmentally friendly, while ensuring considerable flexibility.

The articulated mild hybrid buses destined for Gliwice will carry up to 145 passengers, including 40 seated. The Solaris buses commissioned by the city will also boast space for wheelchairs and prams or pushchairs as well as bicycles. The state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly buses will feature air-conditioning and passengers will benefit from USB charging ports for mobile devices and free Wi-Fi on board, in accordance with the standards of the carrier PKM Gliwice. In addition, the vehicles will be equipped with a video surveillance system and a passenger counting system. The carrier has also opted to install an ignition interlock device in the vehicles, i.e. a system to test the driver’s sobriety.

PKM Gliwice has been a client of Solaris’s for many years now. The first Urbino buses were delivered to this Silesian city back in 2005. Since then, the carrier has purchased almost 150 Solaris buses measuring 12, 15 and 18 metres.

Urbino buses with a mild hybrid drive have been part of the manufacturer’s offering since 2020 and enjoy great popularity among its clients. So far, Solaris has delivered 75 vehicles of this type to different towns and cities including, among others, 16 Urbino mild hybrid units to Glonn (Germany), 29 to Łódź (Poland), 6 to Piotrków Trybunalski (Poland), and 4 buses to Vienna (Austria).