First Solaris Trolleybuses in Germany now in Service

Solaris has for the first time sold Trollino trolleybuses to a German customer. Barnimer Busgesellschaft of Eberswalde is taking delivery of twelve articulated Solaris Trollino 18. Their electric equipment is supplied by Cegelec

and includes an energy storage system with supercapacitors.

In an official ceremony on Eberswalde Market Square, Barnimer Busgesellschaft took delivery of two of twelve Solaris Trollino 18 on order. These are the first Solaris trolleybuses for a German customer. By 2012, the entire fleet of Germany’s oldest trolleybus network will be replaced with new articulated Solaris Trollino.

With the Solaris Trollino, Barnimer Busgesellschaft has chosen one of Europe’s most advanced trolleybuses. The Trollino is based on the proven Solaris Urbino low-floor city bus. Solaris’s partner for the supply of the electric traction equipment is Czech Republic-based Cegelec a.s., a subsidiary of the French Cegelec Group.

A 250 kW electric motor powers the second axle of the bus, an arrangement desgined to deliver best performance even in adverse weather conditions. The traction converter and static solid inverter are placed in a container on the vehicle’s roof, minimising loss of passenger saloon space.

Also located on the roof are supercapacitors which store energy recuperated during braking. This energy is then used to power subsequent acceleration, reducing energy consumption of the new Solaris trolleybuses.

With fully charged supercapacitors, the vehicles can travel for up to 400m in all-electric mode without overhead power supply. Longer distances away from the fixed network are made possible by a 100 kW diesel generator that supplies enough power to operate a fully-laden vehicle in typical traffic flows.

The first three new Solaris Trollino are delivered to Barnimer Busgesellschaft this year. The follwing six will arrive next year, which the final three entering service in Eberswalde by 2012.

Eberswalde this year celebrated 70 years of continuous, eco-friendly trolleybus operation. Large parts of the city are served by two services with a combined route length of 37.2 km. There are plans to extend routes to housing estates not on the existing overhead wire network. Thanks to their state-of-the-art energy storage system and automatically-operated trolley poles, the new Solaris Trollino are fully suited to this new operation.

Image Captions

Image 1: From left to right: Brandenburg State Secretary Rainer Bretschneider, Barnim District Administrator Bodo Ihrke, Mayor of Eberswalde Friedhelm Boginski and Barnimer Busgesellschaft Managing Director Frank Wruck celebrate the arrival of the new Solaris Trollino.

Image 2: The new Solaris Trollino trolleybuses for Eberswalde are fitted with a powerful auxilliary power unit comprising supercapacitors and a diesel generators, allowing operation away from existing overhead wires.