The city of Łódź (Poland) have signed a contract with Solaris to supply 8 e-buses along with the charging infrastructure. The articulated Urbino 18 electric vehicles will hit the streets of the city in the second half of 2023. This is the first contract for electric buses to be carried out for Łódź by Solaris and is worth nearly PLN 32 million gross (6,7 million euros).
The new e-buses will be powered by High Energy batteries with a total nominal capacity of over 400 kWh. They will be charged both via a plug-in connection, with a socket placed on the front bonnet panel of the vehicle, and by means of an inverted pantograph. Smooth operation of the 18-metre e-buses will be ensured by an electric central traction motor. “It’s great news for the bus fleet in Łódź, which will be enriched by the addition of these new e-buses”, said Adam Pustelnik, First Deputy Mayor of the city of Łódź. The interior of the Urbino 18 electric vehicles has a fully automated air-conditioning and a capacity for at least 110 people, including 35 seated. The buses will also feature a variety of amenities and modern solutions, such as an electronic ticketing system that allows payment by credit card, a
ticket vending machine, and a passenger information system with a self-adaptive volume feature that allows the volume of the announcements played inside the vehicle to adapt to the ambient noise level. In order to make the most of the potential of the electric fleet, the vehicles will also be delivered with eSConnect, a remote diagnostic system developed by Solaris. With such information as the battery charging status, data on the bus’s expected range, or on the current or total electricity demand, the operator can optimise the operation of its fleet. This year, Solaris already delivered 29 low-emission Urbino 12 mild hybrid buses to the city and there are 20 more to come this year.