A fleet of electric Solaris buses in Jaworzno [VIDEO]

Having incorporated into its fleet 22 electric Solaris buses, the Municipal Transport Company (PKM) in Jaworzno has become a European leader in e-mobility. Currently, so much as 40% of Jaworzno’s fleet consists of zero-emission buses.

The first electric, totally emission-free and silent Solaris Urbino electric bus was delivered to PKM in Jaworzno in the spring of 2015. On the grounds of the carrier’s immensely positive experience in operating that vehicle, he has decided to further develop his fleet of electric buses and published a tender for a total of 22 battery-powered buses. Its winner was Solaris.

The procurement for a sum of 22 electric buses included 9 articulated Urbino 18 electric buses, 9 Urbino electric buses with a length of 12 metres and 4 buses belonging to the MIDI Urbino 8,9 electric class. Thanks to the latest delivery, the inhabitants of Jaworzno can ride on each electric bus model provided by Solaris.

„It is a challenge and extraordinary pleasure to cooperate with a client who knows from the very beginning how to develop the electric bus programme of his fleet and what he requires from the manufacturer. Together with PKM, we have been able for over two years to gather precious experience and apply it to the further development of electric buses made by Solaris” - said Rafał Zajas, Sales Director for the Southern Region of Poland.

All new electric buses, which in recent days set out onto the streets of Jaworzno, are equipped with a pantograph charging system by means of which batteries can be charged both on the route and in the bus depot. As standard the vehicles also have a plug-in connector to recharge the batteries overnight from the charging station at the bus depot. Each bus has an air-conditioned passenger compartment and driver’s cabin, as well as modern LED lighting. With the ticket machines installed on each bus, passengers can buy tickets without a problem. Moreover, passengers on the electric Urbinos may use USB ports enabling the quick charging of a mobile telephone or another mobile device during a bus ride. The Solaris Urbino electric buses, equipped with ramps easing the entry of wheelchair-bound passengers and with wheelchair bays, have been adjusted to the needs of disabled public transport users. In addition to the extensive passenger information system, the manufacturer has installed an intelligent fleet management system in the ordered models which comprises a GPS device and antenna, displaying in real time arrival and departure times from every bus stop.

The group of delivered buses features a debut model of the company’s product portfolio – the new Solaris Urbino 18 electric – an articulated battery-powered bus of the latest generation. Having been presented to the wide public for the first time at the Busworld Trade Fair in Kortrijk in October this year, the vehicle will carry passengers on routes E and J. Thereby, Jaworzno has become the next city after Kraków to use that electric bus model. Articulated buses are equipped with a central traction motor with an output power of 240 kW and traction batteries with a total capacity of 240 kWh. The use of both charging stations in bus depots and pantographs installed around the town allows for an unlimited operability of the electric buses in Jaworzno. 

What is more, the new electric Solaris Urbino 12 buses have been delivered in two versions: with two doors (6 vehicles) and three doors (3 vehicles). Each 12-metre long bus can accommodate up to 75 passengers. This electric bus model was selected as the „Bus of The Year” in the competition for the best city bus of 2017.

The smallest electric bus models delivered to Jaworzno are four Urbino 8,9 LE electric buses equipped with a traction motor with an output power of 160 kW and batteries with a capacity of 160 kWh. Up to 47 people can travel by it, including 19 passengers on seats. As of 4th December, the new MIDI class electric buses will operate on two completely new lines: 372 and 373 which connect the hospital in Jaworzno with the residential areas of Łubowiec and Szczotki. The same bus model has already been driving along roads, among others, in Kraków and in Ostrołęka as well as in Klagenfurt in Austria. Soon that type of buses will arrive on the streets of Września, Stalowa Wola, as well as in Brussels and Frontignian in France.

The event of handing over the buses in Jaworzno was combined with a presentation of the „Centre of E-mobility” – a recently opened PKM bus depot, which is one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe. In the hall, there are, i.a., depot charging stations which allow for the simultaneous charging of as much as eight vehicles. 

„Twenty-three electric vehicles in our rolling stock is just the beginning. The company’s plans target the operation of 43 zero-emission buses by 2020”, said Maciej Zaremba, spokesperson of PKM Jaworzno.

The new ecological era of public transport is picking up speed. This is evidenced by further tenders for electric buses – within the last few months Solaris Bus & Coach signed new contracts for the supply of electric buses in Poland for: Warsaw, Chodzież, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Sosnowiec, Września, Katowice, Rzeszów and Stalowa Wola and from abroad for: Brussels, Barcelona, Oslo and Milan.