Solaris marks further orders for electric buses from Italy
Solaris is to deliver further trolleybuses to Italy in 2020. The public transport operators SETA Modena and TEP Parma have placed orders for a total of 18 Solaris Trollino 12 buses. Eight of these will go to SETA Modena, the remaining ten to TEP Parma.
According to Solaris, both public transport operators from Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy have opted for the 12-metre long version of the Trollino. The Trollino offers space for up to 80 passengers, 24 of whom can ride on seats. The Polish bus manufacturer estimates the order volume at almost 12 million euros. There are already 160 Solaris trolleybuses in use in Italy, and 1,500 buses worldwide.
The ten trolleybuses for TEP in Parma are to be delivered next year in several sets between April and July. The eight vehicles for Modena are to be delivered as early as January 2020. However, they still have to be modified, since the overhead line network in Modena is operated with the atypical voltage of 750 volts instead of the usual 600-650 volts.
The trolleybuses in Modena are equipped with a drive system from the Düsseldorf company Kiepe Electric. The core of this drive system is the “In-Motion-Charging-Technology” (IMC): During the journey, the system can draw energy from the overhead line with up to 500 kW charging power. In addition to direct consumption, the power can also be stored in the 45 kWh lithium titanate oxide traction batteries. “On sections of track without overhead lines, the vehicle can then be operated like a battery bus,” says Heiko Asum, Managing Director of Kiepe Electric. Long charging times at the terminal stops are thus to be eliminated.
The advantage of this system for Modena is that all three trolleybus lines run past the Romanesque cathedral of San Geminiano, the city’s cathedral. In the future, the buses will be able to drive past the cathedral with battery power, enabling the local public transport company SETA to dismantle a large part of the overhead line at the cathedral and in the historic centre of the university town.
It was only on Wednesday that Solaris announced that it would deliver up to 250 electric buses to Milan. The company’s vehicles are already in use there: with diesel engines, battery-electric drive and trolleybuses.
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