The new electric buses have expanded the existing fleet of 76 emission-free Solaris buses, some of which have been operating on the city streets since 2016. The collaboration between Solaris and the transport operator has spanned almost a quarter of a century, with the manufacturer having delivered more than 550 vehicles to Kraków.
For almost 10 years, we have been continuously investing in the purchase of zero-emission buses. The acquisition of 20 new vehicles means that we now have 99 electric buses in Krakow, operating on 15 regular routes, not only during the day but also at night.
—Jacek Majchrowski, the Mayor of Kraków
The energy storage system in the new buses consists of Solaris High Energy batteries with a total capacity of nearly 300 kWh in the 12-meter units, and more than 400 kWh in the articulated Urbino vehicles. Each bus is adapted for both charging using a plug-in connector and pantograph charging. To boost the buses efficiency and to reduce energy consumption even further, the propulsion system in both models employs SiC technology.
The shorter buses offer space for 81 passengers, whereas the articulated units can carry 141 people. All systems and devices installed in the vehicles are powered solely by electricity. Additional equipment includes e.g. a complete video surveillance system, a comprehensive passenger information system, air-conditioning, USB ports, and an electrical heating system. Moreover, the Urbino electric buses destined for Cracow will feature an AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System) system to alert pedestrians to the presence of these incredibly quiet electric vehicles.
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