EMT Madrid orders 50 electric buses from Solaris

“In recent weeks, we have received many impressive orders from customers across Europe. I am delighted that Madrid has joined their ranks,” says Member of the Solaris Management Board for Sales and Marketing. The value of the order was not disclosed.

While the Urbino 12 Electric model is already familiar to the Spanish transport company, the Urbino 9 LE Electric is celebrating its debut on the streets of Madrid. Solaris states that “in both models, the driver’s cabin has been designed in compliance with EMT standards and requirements to provide a safe and ergonomic workspace with integrated driver assistance devices. Among the amenities worth mentioning is a modern monitoring system, replacing traditional mirrors.”

In addition to the 50 new EV buses, the public transport operator has ordered an eSConnect service from Solaris to “further enhance the potential of the battery vehicle fleet.” According to the Polish manufacturer, the system will be used to improve diagnostic and service options and make precise route planning for individual lines much easier. However, Solaris does not go into more detail.

It is not the Polish company’s first order from the Spanish capital. EMT Madrid ordered over 150 new electric buses in May last year. At that time, Solaris had already been awarded a contract for 60 units of the Urbino 12 Electric. The order for the remaining 90 electric buses went to Irizar.

By the end of 2024, the EMT Madrid fleet will have over 440 electric buses. There is no information on what percentage of the total fleet the electric buses will then make up. However, the public transport operator has stated that 25 per cent of the fleet will be electric by 2025.

EMT Madrid is known to want to operate a completely emission-free bus fleet starting in 2033. On the way there, the last vehicle with a conventional drive was taken out of service in December 2022.

Solaris had received another order just before the holidays. It signed a framework agreement with Berlin’s public transport operator, BVG, to manufacture and deliver new electric articulated buses. The BVG also directly ordered the first 50 vehicles. The first electric articulated bus from the order will arrive in Berlin at the end of 2024.

The remaining 49 units will hit the road in Berlin in 2025. The order is for Urbino 18 electric buses from Solaris. The vehicles are 18 metres long and have 41 seats. The buses will be able to accommodate around 100 passengers in total.

The electric buses will be charged overnight at the depot and by pantograph at the final stops. “We will install additional charging points at terminal stops throughout the city over the next few years,” the BVG said in its press release.

solarisbus.com, emtmadrid.es (Goals of EMT Madrid), bvg.de (Berlin, in German)