Jaworzno (Poland) keeps on buying Solaris e-buses. 80 % of the fleet to be electric

80 per cent of Jaworzno bus fleet, in Poland, will be zero emission once a new contract for 20 electric buses will be completed. Solaris Bus & Coach announces it has received another order from public transport operator PKM (Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Miejskiej).

The contract stipulates the delivery of 15 Urbino 12 electric and 5 low-floor Urbino 8,9 LE electric. The Polish manufacturer points out that it was the city of Jaworzno where the first electric bus in Poland hit the road in 2015. Today, 23 electric buses painted in the operator PKM Jaworzno’s sky blue, are driving around the city.

Electric buses in Jaworzno, deliveries by first half of 2021

Jaworzno is a 90,000 people town 60 km far from Kraków and 25 from Katowice. The city is know for hosting a complex of coal-based power stations, and it is pursuing a strategy to switch the bus fleet to electricity with the support of European grants. The operator invests not only in emission-free vehicles but also in the charging infrastructure.

The Centre of E-mobility in Jaworzno is one of the most advanced bus depots in Europe, Solaris points out. Depot charging stations in the facility allow for concurrent recharging of eight buses. The operator intends to purchase another five pantograph charging stations and ten plug-in charging stations for the depot under a separate order.

PKM Jaworzno has decided to purchase 5 Urbino 8,9 LE electric and 15 Urbino 12 electric. Both models are well known to the residents of Jaworzno. According to the contract the low-floor 9-meter Solaris vehicles will be delivered to the operator by the end of this year, whereas the 12-meter Urbino electric buses will join the former ones in the first half of 2021, Solaris underlines.

Solaris e-buses, in Jaworzno with central motor

All vehicles ordered by the customer will be fitted by Solaris with 160 kWh Solaris High Energy batteries. The operator PKM Jaworzno charges the batteries of its electric buses by means of pantograph chargers of up to 190 kW and via plug-in connectors. This will also be the case here. Both in the 9-metre and in the 12-metre version, the heart of the vehicle will be a 160 kW central electric motor.

The vehicles will be equipped with modern solutions improving travel comfort of passengers such as USB charging ports and Wi-Fi Internet access. Safety will be ensured by CCTV cameras placed in the passenger compartment and in the driver’s cabin as well as devices monitoring the street during reversing manoeuvres and the pantograph when it is charging batteries. Bus interior will fit 55 passengers in case of Urbino 8,9 LE and 75 persons when it comes to Urbino 12 electric.