Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S A : SWEDEN PROCURES SOLARIS ELECTRIC INTERCITY BUSES

2023/10/20

The Swedish public transport operator Nobina Stockholm, has concluded a contract with Solaris for the supply of up to 55 Urbino 15 LE electric buses. These are class II vehicles, i.e. intercity, and can therefore run on the various suburban routes in the Stockholm region. These buses are scheduled to be delivered in 2024.

As announced at the end of last year during the CAF´s Strategic Plan presentation, Solaris seeks to expand its leading position in zero urban emissions in Europe in the intercity bus sector, by increasing its market share and developing new 12m and 18m intercity electric bus platforms, in a sector that is expected to experience significant growth over the next few years.

Nobina is the largest public transport operator in the Nordic region, with more than 13,000 employees across its four countries of operations (Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark). One of the company's main attributes is a commitment to sustainability and innovation in the provision of transport services. In this occasion, the company's subsidiary in Stockholm has placed an order with Solaris to supply 55 Urbino 15 LE three-axle, low-floor buses. These are extremely versatile vehicles that can run both in urban centres and on intercity routes.

The heart of the vehicle will be a 240 kW central engine, powered by energy from Solaris High Energy batteries with a capacity of more than 550 kWh. This will enable the buses to run throughout the day and be charged at night at the company's depots. Designed for 52 seats, these buses will be fitted out with the so-called Scandinavian package which adapts them to accommodate for the country's harsh weather conditions. In addition to this, they will be equipped with the Mobileye Shield+ safety system, which can detect objects in the vehicles' blind spots, alerting the driver via audio signals and messages on the dashboard.

Solaris to supply intercity buses also to the city of Kristianstad

Furthermore, the Swedish company VR Kristianstad has entered into a contract for the supply of 23 Solaris electric buses. This order comprises 20 Urbino 15 LE electric buses and 3 Urbino 12 electric units; both low-floor models. The new vehicles are expected to be delivered in July next year.

It should be pointed out once again that the Urbino 15 LE model bus is designed to run on both urban and intercity routes, providing high service autonomy and efficiency. The Urbino 12 is the most widely known low-floor urban electric model in the Solaris zero-emission range, owing to its excellent sales record.

The vehicles for Kristianstad will also be accessible for passengers with reduced mobility, featuring two ramps for disabled passengers, as well as seats that can be accessed directly from the low-floor. The vehicles will include RGB LED lighting as an additional feature, such that the colour can be switched to green bestowing a modern look to the interior. A monitoring system and the eMirror solution, which includes cameras rather than traditional rear-view mirrors, will guarantee safety, significantly improving visibility whilst the vehicle is driven.

The two contracts, Nobina and VR Kristianstad, are worth approximately €45m and further consolidate Solaris position as a zero-emission solutions leading player in Europe. To date, the company has already supplied more than 2,000 battery-powered electric buses in 21 different countries, with an order backlog for more than one thousand electric vehicles, all of which are currently in various stages of production.