Solaris Bus & Coach has recently signed three framework agreements for the exclusive supply of up to 182 buses deployed throughout Austria. The transport operator Österreichische Postbus AG (ÖBB-Postbus) has opted for Solaris as a potential supplier of both emission-free and conventionally driven vehicles. According to the concluded framework agreements, up to 40 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses will be supplied in 2021-2023.
These hydrogen buses are the most innovative vehicles from Solaris’s range and have recently become increasingly popular among European carriers. Their extraordinary qualities, such as the extremely low-noise levels, reduced vibrations, and, above all, no local emissions, will undoubtedly increase passengers’ travel comfort in Austria. The energy to power the buses is generated in 70 kW fuel cells. Electric power, produced via reverse electrolysis, is transferred directly to the driveline, consisting of an axle with electric motors. The only by-products generated during this process are heat and steam. Additionally, every ordered vehicle will be equipped with a Solaris High Power battery. The hydrogen needed to propel the bus will be stored in gaseous form in tanks with a total volume of 1560 litres, mounted on the bus’s roof.
The framework agreements also provide for the purchase of Urbino buses equipped with Euro 6 engines. The longest, 18-metre buses will feature a door layout of 2-2-2-0, thanks to which at least 140 passengers will be able to get on board very efficiently, of which 51 will be able to travel seated. The Solaris Urbino 12 buses will offer 37 seats on board, while in the Urbino 8,9 LE vehicles 26 passengers will be able to travel seated. Both the articulated and solo buses will be fitted with 270 kW engines. The shortest model will feature a 204-kW drive unit. Moreover, all ordered low emission vehicles will boast similar amenities as the hydrogen buses under the contract will.
Solaris has been present in Austria since 2003, and over that time it has delivered nearly 400 buses to 40 cities there. Every day, 53 of these buses cruise Vienna’s streets and outskirts, including on select lines transporting passengers to Austria’s biggest airport. Hydrogen buses made by Solaris are winning over more and more clients, and not only in Austria. Since the launch of the Urbino 12 hydrogen buses in June 2019, Solaris has been awarded orders in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, for 69 buses in total.
Source: Solaris Bus & Coach
Pictures: Solaris Bus & Coach
