Solaris and Kiepe Electric are the winning bidders in a tender held by operator Stadtwerke Solingen GmbH (SWS) in Germany. Solaris will deliver 16 Trollino 12 electric trolleybuses. Including previous deliveries, a total of 36 Solaris Trollino trolleybuses will be deployed on the streets of Solingen.

In line with the provisions of the offer submitted by a consortium of Solaris and German driveline producer Kiepe Electric, the commission will be divided into two batches. The first 8 trolleybuses will be delivered in 2021, the second part of the order is to arrive by the end of 2023. At the same time, Solaris is working on the completion of an order for 16 articulated trolleybuses for this German operator.

With Solaris as a strong partner, Kiepe Electric has already successfully completed numerous projects. Now we will equip the Solaris Trollino 12-meter trolleybuses for the Solingen municipal operator with our innovative IMC technology and electric equipment. Thanks to this, in Solingen local transport more diesel buses can be replaced by electric buses—an important step to further advance the already exemplary environmentally friendly public transport in Solingen.

—Alexander Ketterl, CEO of Kiepe Electric GmbH

Aside from a conventional electric drive, the trolleybuses for Solingen will additionally feature traction batteries with a capacity of 45 kWh owing to which the vehicles will be able to cover a substantial distance without the need to be attached to overhead wires. The energy will be replenished en route and will be fed through the traction lines, by means of the in-motion charging technology supplied by Kiepe Electric.

The 12-meter trolleybuses have been designed for 22 seats on deck. Thermal comfort will be ensured by high-efficiency air-conditioning of the whole vehicle. The carrier has opted for an enclosed driver’s cabin which allows for comfortable and safe work conditions. A modern monitoring system will ensure control over the situation on board of the bus.

Solaris already carried out a contract for four Trollino 18.75 with a double-axle drive supplied to SWS in 2018. At present, the Solaris factory is preparing for the launch of deliveries under the order for 16 Trollino 18 units. In the weeks to come the German city of Solingen will receive the first of the articulated trolleybuses, whereas the delivery of the remaining 15 vehicles has been staggered over two years, ending in December 2022.

In Germany, a trolleybus transport network is currently deployed in three cities: Eberswalde, Esslingen and Solingen. In each, passengers benefit from safe and comfortable travel on trolleybuses made by Solaris. However, the newly commissioned Trollino will be the first 12-meter vehicles of the type in Germany; so far, the producer has supplied nearly 30 articulated vehicles there.

The 1,600 trolleybuses that have been manufactured by Solaris so far service passenger traffic in 17 states across Europe. The Solaris Trollino of diverse configurations—12, 15, 18 or 18.75 metres long—can be seen on the streets of nearly 60 cities, including Budapest, Gdynia, Milan, Ostrava, Rome, Saint-Etienne, Salzburg and Vilnius. Ten articulated trolleybuses with hydrogen fuel cells have been deployed in Riga.