Solaris Bus & Coach has completed the delivery of 11 electric buses to the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca. The supplied Solaris Urbino 12 electric constitute the first part of the order that can be optionally extended to the total of as many as 41 buses in the period of the coming three years. The city authorities have already ordered further 12 buses of the same model from the Polish producer, to be delivered to Romania by the end of 2018.
The eleven Urbino 12 electric buses supplied by Solaris to Cluj-Napoca are the first emission-free battery vehicles in Romania. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Mayor of the City, Emil Boca, and the Polish Ambassador in Romania, Arkadiusz Michoński took part in the ceremony of vehicle handover. The event was also participated in by the Ambassador of Switzerland in Romania, as the electric buses were purchased under the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Programme. CTP Transport Company which will become the operator of the electric buses was offered by the manufacturer from Bolechowo vehicles with similar parameters to the model that won in the prestigious competition Bus of the Year 2017.
The twelve-meter Urbino electric are equipped with a drive made in Poland. The model commissioned by the Romanian operator has been fitted with a central 160 kW electric motor and 200 kWh traction batteries. Adding electric buses to the fleet meant also investments in the charging infrastructure which involved the construction of 11 slow-charging and two fast-charging stations using roof-mounted pantographs.
The buses for Cluj-Napoca feature air-conditioning in the passenger compartment as well as a complete monitoring system on the outside and inside of the vehicle. Furthermore, Urbino electric buses have the option of offering free WiFi access. They can carry up to 78 passengers, including 27 sitting on seats. 10 seats are accessible from the low floor, which ought to facilitate access for passengers with reduced mobility.
The order carried out by Solaris is the company’s first contract for electric buses in Romania. However, the Bolechowo-based producer has a much longer history of collaboration with the country located at the Black Sea coast. The first vehicle (a 12-metre Trollino) produced for the Romanian operator left the Bolechowo factory gates over 15 years ago, whereas the total number of buses delivered to Romania has already exceeded 200.
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
