Polish bus builder Solaris has unveiled its latest vehicle, the 9-metre low-entry Urbino 9 LE electric. It’s designed both for city and intercity routes, and Solaris calls it “an excellent link between the urban and suburban road network across conurbations.”

The new e-bus has been standardized with all Solaris’s other 4th-generation vehicles. Alongside the Urbino 15 LE electric bus, the Urbino 9 LE meets the requirements for both vehicle classes I and II. Its interior can be adapted to class I or class II type approval requirements. The maximum number of seats for both vehicle classes is 27, and there are dedicated spaces for passengers with disabilities or those with prams or pushchairs, as well as seats fitted with ISOFIX, a system that enables child seats to be secured safely. Depending on the installed equipment, the class I vehicle provides space for 73 passengers, while the class II vehicle accommodates 60.

The Urbino 9 LE’s motor provides a peak power output of 220 kW. The motor is liquid-cooled, and the driving power is transmitted to the second axle of the vehicle. Maximum battery capacity is over 350 kWh.

All Solaris electric buses can be customized according to customer preferences, and thus can be made compatible with existing or planned charging infrastructure.

Solaris offers two types of batteries: High Energy, which have higher energy density and higher capacity, and are intended to be mainly recharged at night; and High Power, which are designed for fast high-power charging.

The batteries can be charged using a plug-in connection or an optional roof-mounted pantograph, of which there are three types. Solaris offers a conventional pantograph, an inverted pantograph, and a new type of pantograph with a higher working range which allows it to recharge vehicles of various heights.

Solaris offers several types of air conditioning including a heat pump system, which boosts energy efficiency and enables a longer driving range.

The Urbino 9 LE electric can be integrated with Solaris’s eSConnect fleet management system, which provides telemetry, data analysis and the servicing of defects as well as the prediction of incidents that might occur in the near future.

Solaris has supplied almost 3,000 zero-emission vehicles to customers. The company says it has already signed contracts for 17 units of the Urbino 9 LE—next year, the new e-bus will appear on the streets of Bolzano, Italy, as well as three towns in Poland.

Source: Solaris