Electric buses best polish export goods

In 2020, every second electric bus purchased in the European Union came from Poland. This makes the country a key player in the production and export of electric buses. According to experts, in the coming years, not only electric but also hydrogen buses will gain in importance.

Poland’s position in the export of electric buses in the EU is constantly strengthening. From 10% in 2017 to 46% in the first 10 months of 2020. This makes Poland the largest exporter of electric buses in the EU. The next places are taken by Belgium, responsible for 36% of EU exports, the Czech Republic (7%), Germany (4%) and the Netherlands (less than 2%). The statistics are also interesting when looking at the deliveries in individual European markets in detail.

In 2020 alone, Solaris delivered over 450 battery-powered vehicles to customers. This is three times more than last year’s result and 76 times more than in 2013 (which was the first year of producers deliveries of this type of vehicle). According to data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland, in the period of January-November 2020, Polish manufacturers supplied electric buses to foreign customers, worth EUR 213.4 million. This means an increase of over 50 percent.

The “green transition” can be seen in the purchasing decisions of carriers all over Europe. Some cities are only taking the first steps in this area, but many others are continuing the process of transport transformation and consistently replacing their diesel buses with ecological alternatives. Everything indicates that the streak of the bus market with alternative power supply will continue.

READ MORE: Electric buses are everywhere – which cities, companies and organizations have signed the Clean Bus Deployment Initiative?

Eco-revolution of public transport are not only electric buses – the future also belongs to hydrogen

Hydrogen buses are also expected to gain in importance and manufacturers are already prepared for the development of this segment. The Urbino hydrogen vehicles produced iby Solaris are already carrying the first passengers in Cologne or Bolzano in Italy. In order to be able to use vehicles using hydrogen technology on the other markets, it is necessary to develop appropriate infrastructure. It’s just ahead of us. Nevertheless, cities are already testing solutions to properly prepare for their appearance in city fleets. Hydrogen Solaris has been tested, among others, on the streets of Konin, Kraków, Poznań, Włocławka and Jaworzno.

In hydrogen buses electric power is generated in the process of reverse electrolysis and transferred directly to the driveline, consisting of an axle with electric motors. The sole by-products of the chemical reaction that takes place in it are heat and steam. This means that technology used in the Urbino hydrogen makes for absolutely environmentally friendly transport.

Electric buses mark the beginning of a sustainable and eco-friendly management policy. However, hydrogen buses are the next step. The review of our application, submitted to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, for 84 hydrogen buses, to be delivered between 2022 and 2024 and in a breakdown of 38 buses of 12 metres and 46 buses of 18 metres, has come to a – hopefully positive – end

Wojciech Tulibacki, the CEO of MPK Poznań.

More and more local governments, public transport operators and institutions are noticing the advantages of hydrogen as a completely clean energy source. The short time refuelling of these buses takes, their wide driving range, lack of by-products released during the operation of the vehicle, a modern CO₂ heat pump, a high level of comfort for travellers and its noiseless, resident-friendly operation mode – these are only a few of the advantages of the Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen.