Solaris has sold another 20 e-buses in Cracow

Cracow has once again opted for Solaris buses. A contract was signed for the delivery of 20 Urbino electric buses to the city. 7 articulated and 13 12-metre e-buses will join Cracow’s fleet in just one year’s time, manufacturer states. The total value of the contract, concluded as a result of a tender, stands at about PLN 70 million (14 million euros).

76 Solaris e-buses already in MPK Krakow fleet

The new low-floor electric buses will soon be running along streets close to the Three Bards’ Avenue (Aleja Trzech Wieszczów).

Representatives from public transport operator MPK Kraków and Solaris Bus & Coach signed a contract for the supply of 20 e-buses: 7 Urbino 18 electric and 13 Urbino 12 electric units. These new e-buses will strengthen the city’s fleet of 76 zero-emission Solaris buses, some of which rolled out onto the streets of the city back in 2016. A latest delivery for 50 articulated e-buses was carried out last year. The contract is worth about PLN 70 million. Over half of this investment is co-financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. 

The energy storage system in the new buses will consist of Solaris High Energy batteries with a total capacity of nearly 300 kWh in the 12-metre units, and of over 400 kWh in the articulated Urbino vehicles. What is more, each bus will be, in terms of construction, adapted for both charging using a plug-in connector and pantograph charging. To boost the bus’s efficiency and to reduce energy consumption even further, the propulsion system in both models employs innovative SiC technology, i.e. using silicon carbide-based circuits.

AVAS system for Solaris e-buses in Cracow

The shorter buses will offer space for 81 passengers, whereas the articulated units can carry 141 people. All systems and devices installed in the vehicles will be powered solely by electricity. Additional equipment will include e.g. a complete video surveillance system, a comprehensive passenger information system, air-conditioning, USB ports and an electrical heating system. Moreover, the Urbino electric buses destined for Cracow will feature an AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System) system to alert pedestrians to the presence of these incredibly quiet electric vehicles.