183 electric Solaris buses now on the streets of Oslo!

On Sunday, April 16, 183 articulated Solaris Urbino 18.75 electric buses were officially added to Oslo’s bus fleet. Thus, Solaris has completed its largest single order for electric buses so far. The value of the contract, signed in January 2022, is approximately €100 million.

The carrier that operates the routes which the new Urbino 18.75 electric buses will ply is Unibuss AS. The impressive fleet of 183 articulated electric vehicles will be stationed at a newly built facility in Stubberud in Oslo. The articulated Urbino 18.75 electrics are earmarked for the most crowded routes in Norway – 20, 21, 31 and 37 – which are used by nearly 150,000 people every day. From now on, they will be able to enjoy a quiet and fully emission-free journey in state-of-the-art electric buses.

Thanks to such investments, Oslo is getting closer to becoming the first city in the world to boast 100% emission-free public transport! Moreover, everything indicates that the goal of completely emission-free public transport set by the metropolis will be achieved 5 years earlier than expected.

“We have just completed deliveries of the largest contract for electric buses in the history of our company. The fact that they will be driving on the streets of Oslo, a city that will soon have a completely emission-free public transport system, is a special reason for us to be proud. Thank you Unibuss AS for your trust!”, emphasized Sverre Skaar, Managing Director of Solaris Norge AS.

”We at Unibuss AS are truly satisfied with the bus delivery to this grand project which is a true milestone for us to reach our goal to have 100% electrical buses in our city bus fleet by mid-2025. Solaris has done a thorough and solid job in getting this delivery in place, just in time, for start of operations (16 April 2023) and that in a very challenging supply chain environment. Now we count on their local Norwegian team by to maintain and service the buses in an excellent way as we have another 12 years of cooperation in front of us. Looking forward to it!, said Henrik Anderberg, Technical Director Unibuss AS.

The Urbino 18.75 electric buses have been equipped with new generation batteries with a very high capacity of over 520 kWh. They are charged using plug-in connectors. The 240 kW central traction motor ensures smooth acceleration and quiet operation of each vehicle. The length of the vehicles is 18.75m, which is 75cm more than the standard articulated Solaris model. The increased space inside the bus has made it possible to place as many as three bays for passengers in wheelchairs, while maintaining the passenger capacity of 138 passengers, including 41 seated.

Drivers benefit from automatic assistance systems that increase driving comfort and safety, such as MobilEye and cameras instead of conventional mirrors. In addition, wide-angle camera systems available in each of the electric Urbinos deliver an image with a 360-degree bird’s eye view. This ensures even greater safety and comfort for the driver. In addition, the buses are equipped with a dusk and rain sensor, as well as a feature that automatically detects driver fatigue. The e-buses have been equipped with a special Scandinavian thermal insulation package consisting, among other things, of additional insulation in the side walls and ceiling and underbody around the wheel arches, double-glazed side windows, as well as heating mats installed in the floor in the area of ​​the entrance doors. In addition, snow chains can be installed on the Urbino 18.75 electric bus.

The history of the partnership between Solaris and Unibuss AS dates all the way back to 2006. Since then, the operator has ordered more than 400 buses from the manufacturer. There are already over 700 Solaris vehicles operating throughout Norway.