First electric Solaris buses for the Czech market going to Ostrava

Last week Solaris has signed a deal with public transport operator Dopravní Podnik in Ostrava (DPO) for the supply of 24 Urbino 12 electric buses and the charging infrastructure to go with them. The vehicles ordered by DPO are the first electric Solaris buses to make an appearance on Czech streets. The deliveries are scheduled to end in 2022.

Next year, Ostrava in the Czech Republic will receive 24 new Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses ordered by way of a tender held by the local public transport operator Dopravní Podnik in Ostrava (DPO). The contract assumes that the city will be provided with vehicles as well as 24 mobile chargers, 4 chargers for servicing purposes and 4 pantograph charging stations.

 “We were overjoyed to receive news of Ostrava trusting Solaris to help the city on its path towards an electric revolution that has been gradually turning around public transport in European cities. Dopravní Podnik in Ostrava was our first customer in the Czech Republic, and more than 20 years ago the firm was also the first foreign recipient of a Solaris bus. The purchase decisions of DPO reflect the firm's highly restrictive approach to the issue of transforming its fleet; they also go hand in hand with the motto of the carrier: “Public transport without diesel!” For this reason we are that much happier that the first electric buses of our brand will be at the disposal of the residents of that region,” declared Petros Spinaris, member of the Management Board of Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o. for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.

The Urbino 12 electric is a state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly bus. Its biggest advantage is that it is extremely quiet and does not produce harmful emissions, and therefore it increases the life quality of city dwellers. The commissioned vehicles will be fitted with Solaris High Power batteries with a total capacity of 90 kWh. That capacity was the optimal choice for frequent, short recharging sessions that are typical for the route which these buses will be deployed on. Apart from using a conventional plug-in charging device, the Urbino electric can be also recharged by means of an inverted pantograph in the OppCharge standard.

At least 80 passengers will fit on board of the air-conditioned buses that are equipped with wireless Internet and easily accessible USB ports, and feature a door layout of 2-2-2. All models will also be furnished with external and internal LED lighting as well as a CCTV system consisting of a total of 7 cameras. The safety of drivers will be ensured by means of a very comfortable work place fully separated from the rest of the bus and accessed through a personal entry.

The residents of Ostrava are well acquainted with vehicles of Solaris. By now, the Czech city has already received over 400 of them. A significant majority of them is made up of ecological buses running on compressed natural gas (CNG) and of zero-emission trolleybuses. 12-metre Solaris Urbino electric buses will join those vehicles soon. The turn towards people- and environmentally friendly municipal transport is a noticeable trend across Europe and the undeniable advantages of electric buses, such as low-noise and smooth driving as well as the lack of pollutant exhaust emissions at the place of use, constitute a strong incentive for an ever growing number of transport operators.