The new Solaris Urbino 12 electric has been awarded the title of “Innovation of the Year 2018” by one of the most popular industry magazines, “Busplaner”. The distinction was granted in the “Public Transport” category for its contribution to the development of electromobility in the German market, in particular for electric bus projects for Fürth and Nuremberg. The award ceremony took place on December 4th in Munich.
This is another award for the new generation electric bus produced at the Bolechowo factory. The vehicle, which can boast the prestigious “Bus of the Year 2017” title, was also appreciated by the readers of “Busplaner” magazine, receiving the most votes in the “Public Transport” category.
– The award received is a confirmation of Solaris’ strong position in the Western market. In March of this year, we also received the extremely important EBUS Award for our long-standing contribution to the development of emission-free public transport, granted by the Association of German Transport Companies. The title won today confirms that the common direction of action for the development of alternative drives chosen years ago is the right one – said Alexander Schmidt, representative of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. on the German market.
The main argument for choosing the winner was the recently won contract for the supply of electric buses to Fürth and Nuremberg. For both of these cities, these will be the first emission-free vehicles in history. The contracts aim to test the innovative solutions of the manufacturer from near Poznań and to introduce residents to vehicles powered by alternative energy sources, which are widely used in public transport today. The buses will be ready to carry passengers as early as the beginning of 2018.
Both completely emission-free Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses will be equipped with ZF AVE 130 electric axles with integrated electric motors and Medcom drives. Both the drive and the air conditioning and interior heating of the bus will be powered by electricity from 240 kWh batteries. Both buses use plug-in charging, which allows for overnight battery replenishment at the depot. Additionally, a charger will be placed on the roof of both vehicles, which will allow the buses to be charged outside the depot. Furthermore, the innovative Solaris buses will be prepared for the future use of a pantograph, which will allow for fast battery charging along the route.
The “Innovation of the Year” award has been granted by the German magazine for the tenth time. Solaris has been its laureate for the third time: previously, the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid bus with a serial hybrid system equipped with batteries, supercapacitors, and an external charging system (plug-in) and the first electric Solaris Urbino presented by the company in 2011 were awarded.