City of Lustenau in Austria opts for 9-metre Solaris e-buses

Transport operator Rheintal Busverkehr GmbH purchased 16 Solaris Urbino 9 LE electric vehicles. The vehicles are low-volume models that can be approved in both Class I and Class II. The order will be carried out in two rounds: 11 buses will be delivered in 2024 and a further five in 2025.

In April, operator Rheintal Busverkehr GmbH and manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach signed a contract for the purchase of 16 Urbino 9 LE electric battery buses. The low-entry 9-metre vehicles will serve passenger traffic in the Lustenau area, located in the Rhine valley in western Austria. 11 of the new e-buses will be delivered in 2024 and a further five will be supplied in 2025. Rheintal Busverkehr GmbH is already well acquainted with a similar-length, conventionally powered model - as it has 20 Urbino 8.9 LE buses in its fleet.

The Solaris Urbino 9 LE electric bus is emission-free, quiet and highly manoeuvrable. The small size of this model makes it perfectly suited for journeys in crowded urban spaces. At the same time, the possibility to approve the bus in both Class I and Class II as well as the fact that most of the seats are facing the direction of travel guarantee travel comfort not only on typical urban routes, but also on suburban roads.

The ordered e-buses will be powered by state-of-the-art High Energy batteries with a total capacity of over 300 kWh. The battery will be charged via a plug-in connector. Each of e-bus will be equipped with two plug-in connectors, located on the first right wheel arch and in the last side panel on the right-hand side.

The modern interior of the Urbino 9 LE electric provides seating for 27 passengers. The midibus chosen by Rheintal Busverkehr GmbH is equipped with a number of modern features such as an automatic passenger counting system and advanced monitoring systems. Each of the 16 buses for Lustenau will be fitted with CO2 heat pump.

The shortest in the zero-emission Urbino 9 LE electric portfolio, was launched in Autumn 2021. The vehicle's high adaptability to the requirements of different transport operators makes this small model increasingly popular. Solaris has already signed contracts for nearly 70 units of 9-metre electrobus with operators from Austria, Poland, Spain, Italy, Romania and Germany, thereby supporting the green transformation of public transport in more cities.