Hermes orders 10 Solaris e-buses in the Netherlands
The Polish bus manufacturer Solaris has signed a contract with the Dutch transport company Hermes for the delivery of ten Trollino 18s. The MetroStyle trolleybuses are scheduled to arrive in the city of Arnhem in the first half of 2024.
The new trolleybuses are equipped with traction batteries with a capacity of about 90 kWh, which should also allow a range of “several dozen kilometres” without overhead wires. The remainder of the time, the batteries will be charged using in-motion charging technology with overhead lines. The Solaris Trollino 18 will be powered by a 240 kW electric motor.
The vehicles ordered will be the first Solaris trolleybuses to be used in the Netherlands. The city of Arnhem, located on the Nederrijn and with a population of more than 150,000, is an important industrial, scientific and cultural centre. According to Wil Willems, Managing Director of Solaris Netherlands, Arnhem is the only Dutch city with a functioning trolleybus system. The ordered vehicles would make it possible to expand the transport network between the university in Arnhem and the university in Wageningen.
Solaris says that the MetroStyle look sported by these trolly buses was developed by Solaris in response to the latest trends in the public transport industry. The first vehicle in this style was reportedly the Trollino 24, which the company presented at Busworld 2019 in Brussels.
Solaris vehicles have been on the road in the Netherlands since 2017, when Transdev ordered 40 articulated Solaris Urbino 18s. The transport company Hermes, with which Solaris has been working for several years, is part of the Transdev Netherlands group. Since then, the Solaris fleet operating on the roads in the Netherlands has been increased by 26 vehicles – including 20 hydrogen buses. According to Solaris, nearly 2,000 Solaris trolleybuses have been delivered to 60 cities in 18 countries to date.
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