ÖBB Postbus opts for Solaris as supplier of up to 162 buses to Austria

Solaris Bus & Coach has recently signed three framework agreements for the exclusive supply of up to 162 buses which will be used throughout Austria. The operator Österreichische Postbus AG has opted for Solaris as a potential supplier of both emission-free and conventionally driven vehicles. According to the concluded framework agreements, a total of up to 40 hydrogen buses and 122 diesel vehicles of different lengths will be supplied in 2021-2023.

Solaris and Österreichische Postbus AG, the Austria's largest operator and market leader in regional bus services have recently signed three framework agreements for the delivery of up to 162 buses. The contracts will be executed in 2021-2023. The buses to be purchased by the carrier will include up to 40 emission-free Urbino 12 hydrogen buses. This environmentally friendly and highly advanced model has recently become increasingly popular among European carriers. The rest of the vehicles will be equipped with drives meeting the stringent Euro 6 emissions standards. These will include up to 45 Urbino 18, up to 60 Urbino 12 and up to 17 Urbino 8,9 LE buses.

The hydrogen buses offered under the contract are the most innovative vehicles from Solaris’s range. Their amazing qualities, such as the extremely low-noise levels, reduced vibrations and, above all, no local emissions, will certainly increase the travel comfort of passengers in Austria. The energy to power the buses is generated in 70 kW fuel cells. Electric power, produced via reverse electrolysis, is transferred directly to the driveline, consisting of an axle with electric motors. The sole by-products generated during this process are heat and steam. Additionally, every ordered vehicle will be equipped with a Solaris High Power battery. The hydrogen needed to propel the bus will be stored in gaseous form in tanks with a total volume of 1560 litres, mounted on the bus’s roof.

The framework agreements also provide for the purchase of Urbino buses equipped with Euro 6 engines. The longest, 18-metre buses will feature a door layout of 2-2-2-0, thanks to which at least 140 passengers will be able to get on board very efficiently, of which 51 will be able to travel seated. The Solaris Urbino 12 buses will offer 37 seats on board, while in the Urbino 8,9 LE vehicles 26 passengers will be able to travel seated. Both the articulated and solo buses will be fitted with 270 kW engines, and the shortest model will feature a 204 kW drive unit. What is more, all ordered low-emission vehicles will boast similar amenities as the hydrogen buses under the contract will.

Solaris has been present in Austria since 2003 and over that time it has delivered nearly 400 buses to 40 cities there. Every day, 53 of these cruise the streets of Vienna and its outskirts, including on special lines transporting passengers to Austria’s biggest airport. Hydrogen buses made by Solaris are winning over more and more clients, and not only in Austria. Since the launch of the Urbino 12 hydrogen in June 2019, Solaris has been awarded orders in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Sweden, for 69 buses in total.