Leipzig Transport Authority (LVB) has placed an order for 40 new Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses. These new vehicles will replace older diesel models.
The first 15 units are scheduled for delivery starting in November 2026, with the remaining 25 expected by mid-2027.
While LVB already operates a fleet of 200 Solaris buses, these will be the first fully electric models from the Polish manufacturer.
Following the approval of 13.5 million euros in funding by the Free State of Saxony last year, Solaris secured the order for 40 electric articulated buses. The funding comes from the Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport’s Directive for the Promotion of Buses in Public Transport (RL Bus).
The total cost of the electric buses is estimated at around 33 million euros, meaning the transport authority will contribute nearly 20 million euros.
Marc Backhaus, spokesperson for LVB, says that Solaris won the EU-wide tender against five competitors.
Although the Solaris Urbino 18 electric is available with batteries of up to 800 kWh (gross, 640 kWh net), providing a range of over 600 kilometres, Backhaus confirmed that the public transport company opted for the 576 kWh battery version, which allows for a range of up to 270 kilometres.
This is sufficient to operate the vehicles for 24 hours without recharging.
“In this way, long routes such as 72, 73, or 70 can also be covered with electric buses,” he says.
The standard cable charging capacity is up to 250 kW.
Solaris also offers pantograph charging as an option, although charging times are not specified in the technical data sheet.
As with the 38 VDL electric buses already operating in the German city, LVB also plans to use pantograph charging for the new Solaris buses.
Source: Leipziger Volkszeitung
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