Solaris Bus & Coach signed a contract with Latvian operator Rīgas Satiksme to deliver 35 Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses. In addition, Solaris announces that the contract can be extended with another 17 e-vehicles. The value of the basic contract amounts to over 19 million euros. The vehicles will arrive in the Latvian capital at the end of 2023.
With this order by Latvian carrier Rīgas Satiksme, Riga is further investing in zero-emission public transport. “We have been collaborating with Rīgas Satiksme for over 20 years now. Meanwhile, we have delivered almost 600 of our vehicles to Riga starting in 2001, when the first Trollino trolleybus rolled onto the streets of the city”, said Olivier Michard, member of the Management of Solaris Bus & Coach for Sales, Marketing and After Sales. The new low-floor 12-metre vehicles for Riga will feature Solaris High Energy batteries, with a capacity of 140 kWh, to be charged using both a plug-in connector and an inverted pantograph. The capacity of the buses is at least 72 passengers. An alcolock device is on board which the driver has to use every time before ignition. As standard, the vehicle’s interior will feature air conditioning, cameras monitoring the passenger compartment and the immediate vicinity of the bus, as well as an advanced passenger communication system.
In addition, the enclosed driver’s cabin will feature a heated seat, and thanks to an automatic passenger counting system the driver will always be kept informed as to the number of passengers currently onboard. For passengers’ comfort, the buses will be fitted with LED lamps and USB charging ports. In order to optimise energy consumption in the buses, they will feature so-called thermal pre-conditioning. This function means that, while the battery is recharging, the interior of the bus is concurrently warmed up or cooled down, depending on the season. Consequently, when setting off from the bus depot, the bus will be ready temperature-wise to ensure a comfortable travel experience. The vehicles will also boast an eSConnect system for efficiently managing zero-emission bus fleets. This software, developed by Solaris experts, offers such functionalities as access to vehicle data in real time as well as identification of any faults as they occur.