Transit operator Miejski Zakład Komunikacji in Grudziądz, Poland signed a contract for the delivery of 17 Solaris electric buses. The contract covers not only the delivery of the vehicles, but also of the charging devices, including pantograph chargers.

The buses and the charging infrastructure will be delivered to the city in the first quarter of 2023. With this investment, worth more than PLN 40 million (US$9.5 million), about 25% of the bus fleet in Grudziądz will be emissions-free.

The municipal operator opted for Urbino 12 electric buses, the most popular models in Solaris’s emission-free portfolio. At present, Solaris e-buses ply routes in 19 countries and almost 100 towns and cities.

The Urbino 12 electrics set to join the city fleet will draw energy from batteries with a capacity of more ethan 250 kWh. Their energy storage facilities are adapted to low-power charging using a plug-in connector as well as fast Opportunity Charging. The city will have at its disposal 9 depot chargers and 5 chargers with an inverted pantograph installed at the charging station and lowered onto the bus. The drive unit will be a 180 kW central motor.

The Solaris e-buses will be fitted with a blind spot monitoring system that uses ultrasonic sensors to warn the driver about any objects located there.

The 17 commissioned Urbino 12 electric buses will be the first electric buses inn service in Grudziądz. Solaris is now one of the biggest manufacturers in Europe of zero-emission public transport vehicles. Poland is an extremely important market for the bus maker when it comes to sales of its electric buses. Almost half of all Solaris buses purchased by Polish carriers in 2021 are electrically-powered.