Radom buys 9 more electric Solaris buses!

Solaris has signed another contract for the delivery of electric buses on the Polish market. The operator Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji (MPK) in Radom has ordered 9 Solaris Urbino 12 electric with the pertinent charging infrastructure. Worth nearly 28.5 million PLN, the contract will be carried out by mid-July 2021.

This year, ten electric buses of Solaris have made it to Radom so far. Next year then, another nine Urbino 12 electric will roll out onto the streets of this city of over 200,000 people, following a tender published by the municipal operator MPK in Radom. Apart from vehicles, the contract covers also the supply of a technical vehicle with a mobile charger, five mobile dual chargers of 2x40 kW each and the construction of a fast-charging pantograph station of 250 kW at the bus terminus at Królowej Jadwigi street.

“I am extremely proud of the more than 20 years of productive collaboration that has evolved between MPK in Radom and Solaris. I am also glad that the carrier has opted for electric buses from our product range. This is proof of the commitment towards developing environmentally friendly public urban transport.  It also goes to show that MPK Radom puts the life standard of inhabitants and the care for air quality in the city first,” says Petros Spinaris, Deputy CEO of Solaris.

The carrier has chosen Solaris High Power batteries with a total capacity of over 120 kWh. The buses will be propelled by axles with two integrated traction motors boasting a power of 125 kW each. By day, the fast recharging of energy will be handled by means of a five-pole roof-mounted pantograph. At night, it will be possible to use conventional plug-in charging at the bus depot.

Each Urbino 12 electric for Radom will hold concurrently up to 75 passengers, including 30 seated ones. Two dual USB charging ports for mobile devices, located in the passenger compartment, will mark yet another improvement designed for the travellers. With its 2+2+2 layout, the doors will feature LED-illuminated entrance thresholds. The passenger detection system will facilitate hands-free opening and closing of doors for passengers. The vehicles will also feature a space fitted with a safety strap system for passengers in wheelchairs or travelling with prams or pushchairs, and a ramp with anti-skid strips easing the entry will be installed at the middle-door of each model.

Thermal comfort in buses will be ensured by the only automatic system fuelled with compressed natural gas (CNG) of this type in Poland, whereas on warmer days the job will be done by an efficient air conditioning working in both the passenger compartment and in the driver’s work place, i.e. a closed cab, separating the driver from passengers. The destination displays will cater to the needs of sight impaired travellers. Seeking to ensure the safety and comfort of all those on deck, the producer will equip the vehicles i. a. with a top-notch driver assistance system for parking the bus at the pantograph charging station, and a tyre pressure measuring system that allows to display tyre pressure and temperature readings on the driver’s panel. What is more, a novel video surveillance system including reversing cameras, cameras monitoring the vehicle trajectory and interior cameras.

The cooperation between Solaris and MPK in Radom dates back to 1998. Since then, the Polish manufacturer has delivered 164 buses to this Masovian city. The sale of electric buses is growing dynamically in Poland, which makes this country fifth in the European Union in terms of the number of electric buses in cities. Over 76 percent of all electric buses carrying passengers in Polish cities have been made by Solaris. Electric Solaris vehicles are chosen increasingly both by domestic and by foreign operators.