Representatives of Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. have signed a contract with city authorities for the delivery of a total of 25 Solaris Urbino buses with serial hybrid drive. The order covers eight articulated vehicles and seventeen 12-meter ones. This is the largest order to date in Poland, right after Tomaszów Mazowiecki, for hybrid buses manufactured in Bolechowo.
The HybriDrive powertrain is supplied by the American manufacturer BAE Systems. This eco-friendly drive enables a significant reduction in fuel consumption and the level of harmful emissions released into the atmosphere. This is possible thanks to an electric motor powered by electricity from an energy storage system. The latter is charged by a power generator driven by a Cummins diesel engine with a capacity of only 4.5 liters for the twelve-meter vehicle (Cummins ISB4.5E6 with 210 HP).
In the new hybrid Urbino 12, Solaris offers a zero-emission function, making the vehicle similar to electric buses. Thanks to the installed Stop-and-Go system, the combustion engine shuts down completely while stopped at a bus stop with the doors open, and turns on as soon as the energy in the supercapacitors is depleted. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a GPS device and appropriate software that enables the Arrive-and-Go function. This function additionally shuts down the combustion engine while the bus is approaching the bus stop. According to tests, this eco-friendly solution is capable of saving up to 20% of the fuel required in an analogous vehicle with a conventional drive. The quiet operation of the vehicle also allows for a significant reduction in noise levels, especially in crowded city centers.
The signed agreement also includes the delivery of 8 units of the eighteen-meter version of the hybrid bus with the BAE serial system. The vehicles will be equipped with a 6-cylinder Cummins ISB6.7 engine with a capacity of 6.7 liters and 300 HP, and an asynchronous central motor with a maximum power of 200 kW. This is the first order in Poland for new-generation articulated hybrid buses.
The new hybrid Solaris buses are characterized by excellent driving parameters, in particular, they are distinguished by energetic yet smooth acceleration. One of the main features of the drive is the ability to recover kinetic energy during braking. This is then converted into electrical energy and stored in this form in energy storage units – supercapacitors with a capacity of 0.82 kWh.