Finland’s Tampere has welcomed its first electric buses of Solaris. Four Urbino 12 electric ordered by the municipal operator have begun regular service. And in one of these you could meet Santa Clause himself who had come personally all the way from his home in Lapland to festively inaugurate the emission-free no. 2 line in Tampere.
Solaris signed the deal for the supply of four electric buses with the public transport operator in Tampere (TKL) on 23 December 2015. Exactly one year later all of the ordered vehicles took passengers onboard and set off into the city to carry passengers of the no. 2 line all emission-free. Santa Clause honoured the celebratory first drive with his presence, having left Lapland for a short while to promote e-mobility in the Finish city of Tampere.
The fully emission-free Solaris buses bought by TKL are equipped with High Power batteries of 75 kWh. The power in those is recharged by way of a pantograph as well as via traditional plug-in connectors used to recharge the batteries overnight in the bus depot.
The innovative equipment of the vehicle, its environmental-friendly and extraordinarily quiet engine make the electric Urbino the ideal answer to growing needs for contemporary, dynamically developing urban areas. The advantages of the vehicle were appreciated by the jury members of the prestigious Bus Euro Test which announced the new Urbino 12 electric the Bus of the Year 2017.
So far Solaris has sold over 100 electric buses which have been driving in cities in Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, Sweden and Poland, and – for a few days also in Finland. Only over the past weeks Solaris signed contracts with operators Jaworzno City Transport (PKM) and Cracow City Transport (MPK) for the supply of 42 electric buses in total.
Information Solaris
Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. is one of the leading producers of city and intercity buses in Europe. It focuses in particular on the development of zero-emission vehicles, i. e. electric and hydrogen buses as well as trolleybuses. This has resulted in the widest zero-emission product range in the European market and a leading position in this segment with a market share of 15.2%. Nearly 25,000 Solaris vehicles have been delivered so far and they ply the streets in 850 towns and cities across 33 countries located throughout Europe as well as beyond it. Solaris is part of the Spanish CAF Group (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) S.A. From conception, to the design and manufacturing phases, all Solaris buses are produced in Poland. Moreover, all activities undertaken by the manufacturer are in line with the brand’s mission, which is reflected in the motto “We are changing the image of public transport”. Solaris also actively partners with public transport operators and provides them with comprehensive support in their transition to zero-emission mobility.
Additional information
Mateusz Figaszewski
E-mobility Development & Market Intelligence Director
mateusz.figaszewski@solarisbus.com
