Madrid Orders 250 Solaris Buses
Having won a tender, Solaris will deliver 250 Solaris Urbino 12 buses fuelled with compressed natural gas to Madrid. The deliveries to operator EMT are due to begin by the end of the year and will be completed in 2023. This is the first contract won by Solaris in the Spanish capital.
Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT) is the largest public transport operator in Spain and the second biggest in Europe. The operator has set itself an ambitious goal to have solely electric, hybrid and CNG buses plying the streets of Madrid by 2023. The plan envisages replacing all their diesel vehicles with CNG buses. That is why, at the beginning of the year, EMT launched a call for tender for an impressive 520 of the 12-metre CNG-fuelled vehicles. 250 of them will be delivered by Solaris, and the contract is worth €73 375 000.
Pursuant to the deal, the buses will be delivered in 2021-2023, but 91 CNG buses made by Solaris will roll onto the streets of Madrid as early as this year.
At the heart of the vehicles ordered by the Spanish carrier will be a 239 kW engine adapted to use compressed natural gas (CNG). The driveline will be supplemented by an automatic transmission to ensure optimal travel comfort for drivers and passengers. Five CNG storage tanks with a total capacity of 1575 litres will be mounted on the roof in the front part of the vehicle. This amount of fuel, and a reserve to maintain the required minimum CNG concentration, will allow the buses to cover about 400 km on a single refill.
The operator has opted for a high equipment standard in both the passenger compartment and the driver’s cabin. In the spacious air-conditioned interior of the Urbino 12 CNG buses, passengers will benefit from a modern and comprehensive passenger information system, USB ports to recharge their mobile devices and a video surveillance system to enhance safety. The buses will each provide space for 100 passengers. An anti-aggressive driver’s cabin has been designed according to the EMT’s standards.
This is the largest order ever landed by the manufacturer in the Spanish market. So far, Solaris has delivered over 250 vehicles to that country, including electric, hybrid and CNG buses.
This article was originally published by Solaris Bus & Coach sp. z o.o..
