Picture and press release: Solaris
The city of Łódź has signed a contract with Solaris to supply e-buses along with charging infrastructure. The zero-emission Urbino 18 electric vehicles will hit the streets of the city in 2023. This will be a decisive step towards embracing e-mobility and will mark the first contract for electric buses to be carried out by Łódź by the manufacturer from Bolechowo.
Key features of the eight Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses ordered by the city are their unique quietness and reduced emissions. The Urbino electric buses will be able to operate up to 24 hours a day. They are expected to roll out onto the streets in the second half of 2023.
“The signing of the contract for 8 state-of-the-art electric buses, taking place today, is an event of enormous importance for us. We are pleased that Łódź will be yet another city on the electric map of zero-emission Solaris buses. We are also very proud to be able to support the city in the implementation of such ambitious undertakings. These determined efforts to electrify public transport in Łódź will set an excellent example for numerous European towns and cities”, underlined Krzysztof Musiał, Regional Sales Manager for Poland South-East at Solaris.
The company has said that the new e-buses will be powered by state-of-the-art High Energy batteries with a total nominal capacity of over 400kWh. They will be available to charge both via a plug in connection and by means of an inverted pantograph.
“It’s great news for the bus fleet in Łódź, which will be enriched by the addition of these new e-buses. Today, we are signing a contract for the purchase of our first articulated e-buses manufactured by Solaris. I am extremely happy about it and strongly believe that this is only the beginning of our long-term collaboration”, said Adam Pustelnik, First Deputy Mayor of the city of Łódź.
The interiors of the Urbino 18 electric vehicles are equipped with fully automated air conditioning and will offer space for 110 people. The bus will also feature an electronic ticketing system that will allow payment from credit cards and a ticket vending machine.
The very first Solaris buses made it to Łódź in 2000. Since then, the city’s public transport has been consistently heading towards green mobility said the company’s press release.
The vehicles ordered today will be the first Solaris electric buses to be used in Łódź. However, this is not the city’s first investment in Solaris vehicles with alternative drive systems.
This year, the manufacturer has already delivered 29 low-emission Urbino 12 mild hybrid buses to the city. Soon, another 20 units of the same type will make their way to Łódź. With every passing year, low- and zero-emission vehicles account for an increasingly significant share of European bus fleets, and the city of Łodź is clearly following this trend.
