Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE electric is a low-entry electric city bus, that debuted in autumn 2011. It was produced by the company Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. from Bolechowo near Poznań. Its design is based on the Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE. It was the first electric bus manufactured in Poland. In Poland, it is in use in Ostrołęka, Cracow, Jaworzno, Ciechanow, Chodzież, Września, Katowice and Stalowa Wola.
History
Origins
In 1999 Solaris unveiled its first city bus of the Urbino family – the Solaris Urbino 12. In subsequent years the manufacturer widened the city bus range, adding new models which, initially, were conventionally fuelled. In 2002, Solaris showed a new version of the Urbino, the so-called 2nd generation. Two years later, in 2004, the third generation of the Urbino had its première. In 2006, at the IAA Nutzfahrzeuge trade fair in Hanover, Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. displayed a third generation bus which was also the first of its hybrid models, the Solaris Urbino 18 hybrid. It was the first serially produced hybrid bus in Europe. As a result, Solaris joined the European leaders of eco-friendly technology in public transport. Krzysztof Olszewski, founder of Solaris Bus & Coach, said at that time that: ”Diesel has died, long live electricity!”. In 2008, Solaris showcased the Urbino 8,9 LE model which later served as the base for the Urbino 8,9 LE electric.
A green dachshund, the trademark of Solaris, with a cable and plug instead of a tail, became the graphic symbol of the Urbino electric.
Urbino 8,9 LE electric
The prototype Solaris Urbino 8,9 LE electric had its début on 20 September 2011, during the Transexpo 2011 fair. The vehicle design was based on the Urbino 8,9 LE. The vehicle was equipped with a 120 kW 4-pole asynchronous electric motor. Traction batteries with a capacity of 124 kWh were placed in the engine chamber in the high-floor part of the bus deck. The battery weight of 1400 kg forced the designers to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which was achieved, among others, thanks to the application of lighter materials for the side panels (carbon fibre), thinner windows, or aluminium rims. It was the first electric bus manufactured in Poland. The chief advantages of a bus powered by electricity are, i.a. the lack of noxious emissions, which means the protection of the natural environment, as well as a low noise emission, but also a high efficiency of the electric drive and lower operating costs in connection with the lower price of electric power needed to cover the same distance as a conventionally powered vehicle.
In the first half of 2012, the producer built the second prototype with more elaborate equipment (such as air conditioning). It was fitted with a fast-charging system, using special chargers, that facilitated a full recharge of depleted batteries in a matter of 1.5 hours. This allowed to extend the range achieved on a single charging session to over 150 km. During the first tests of the electric bus, which took place in the first half of 2012 in Poznań, the bus covered over 3000 km failure-free. Later on, the same prototype was tested also in other Polish cities – in Warsaw, Cracow and Jaworzno (see section: Operators). During tests held in Zakopane, the Urbino electric 8,9 LE carried passengers on the route leading up to the mountain lake Morskie Oko. Meanwhile, in Poznań the bus was covered in artificial grass and it transported football fans who visited the city during the UEFA EURO football cup in June 2012.
Awards
The innovation of the Solaris Urbino electric concept was appreciated and awarded by automotive industry experts. Readers of German magazine “Busplaner” declared the vehicle the “Innovation of 2012” in the Public Transport category. Meanwhile, the jury at the Transexpo trade fair awarded it the Golden Medal for product of the year 2011. Five years later, the twelve-metre electric bus of Solaris won the prestigious award of “Bus of the Years 2017”.