(Owińska/Poland) – The Polish bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z oo has brought a new fuel cell vehicle onto the market. The model called “Urbino 18 Hydrogen” is 18 meters long and has 51,2 kilogram hydrogen tanks mounted on the roof. By eliminating the traditional engine compartment and the space it gained, passenger capacity was increased, the company said. Depending on the configuration, the bus offers space for up to 140 passengers.
Range 350 kilometers
The Solaris batteries installed in the vehicle with a capacity of 60 kilowatt hours have a supporting function, for example when accelerating or recovering energy. Filling up the vehicle takes 20 minutes and the range is 350 kilometers. The new model can also be registered as a Class II vehicle and can therefore be used on overland routes. The first deliveries of the articulated bus are scheduled to take place from the second quarter of 2023.
The “Urbino 18 Hydrogen” is the company’s second hydrogen bus. The Solaris Urbino hydrogen in a 12-meter version came onto the market in 2019. Since then, almost 100 Solaris hydrogen buses have been handed over to customers in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Poland. Further deliveries will be made to interested parties in Spain, France, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
New warehouse with small PV system
In the last week of September, Solaris also opened a new 10.000 square meter warehouse and a charging station for battery-powered vehicles.
The new warehouse in the immediate vicinity of the production hall (above) and with a solar power system on the roof. © Solaris
The hall is equipped with a multi-story storage platform with an automatic conveyor line. Almost 25 percent of the area is intended for office and social rooms. A solar power system with an output of 260 kilowatts was installed on the roof. Further photovoltaic systems are planned for the acceptance hall, the new service workshop and as parking lot roofs. Their performance was not mentioned.
Electric charging station with directional charging
The new 5.000 square meter charging station called “Charging Park”, which has also now been presented, has eight parking spaces for e-buses, hydrogen buses and trolleybuses. The charging systems were installed by Medcom, Ekoenergetyka and ABB. The station will also be used for testing purposes regarding charging and discharging processes in battery-powered vehicles.
Solaris' new “Charging Park”, designed for eight buses that can be charged at the same time. © Solaris
The first system consists of two independent plug-in chargers with an output of 150 kilowatts. Each is equipped with a V2G function for bi-directional charging. This allows the electricity from batteries to be fed back into the general power grid (V2G, “Vehicle to grid”).
The second charging solution in the Charging Park has eight charging points with an output of 150 to 600 kilowatts, which can be used to charge three vehicles at the same time. The third charging system is based on a charger with four charging points and a total output of 360 kilowatts. Similar to the warehouse, the charging park also has a photovoltaic system. Their performance was also not mentioned.
Photo above
“Urbino 18 Hydrogen” fuel cell bus. © Solaris
