Barcelona, mirrorless technology and pantograph charging for the new Urbino 18 electric

TMB Barcelona opts again for Solaris. Following a first deployment of five Polish-made electric buses, the biggest public transport operator in the capital city of Catalonia, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), has now finalized another order for 14 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses. Buses that will be equipped, beyond mirrorless technology, with small batteries and charged en-route via pantograph.

The supply is part of a procurement process for as many as 23 electric buses. The tender launched in summer 2019 has ended its journey with the awarding of two contract to Solaris and Irizar. The two manufacturers will deliver 14 and 9 e-buses respectively.

500 kW charging via pantograph in Barcelona

The vehicles ordered by TMB, in fact, will be equipped with Solaris High Power batteries with a nominal capacity of 145 kWh in total that will be charged using a pantograph of 500 kW enabling fast charging. The infrastructure will be provided by Ekoenergetyka, that has already installed eight depot chargers in Barcelona.

The buses will be propelled by a 240 kW central traction motor.

An efficient air conditioning system will ensure a comfortable ride for the driver and passengers on hot days. The vehicle will not lack USB ports on board enabling the recharging of mobile devices during a bus ride, Solaris points out. Meanwhile, drivers will benefit from a series of solutions supporting their work and improving the road safety, e. g. from the MirrorEye system that replaces conventional side mirrors with cameras. It ensures improved visibility not only in bright sunlight, but also when it rains or at night.

Mobileye Shield+ for Solaris Urbino electric in Barcelona

All ordered vehicles will also be equipped with the Mobileye Shield+ device minimising the risk of colliding with pedestrians or cyclists. The system of intelligent cameras monitors the close surroundings of the vehicle and the driver is alerted to potential dangers with sound and visual signals. At the special request of the client, the Mobileye Shield+ will be additionally fitted with the Geotab system recognising, archiving information about and informing the operator TMB about potholes.

266 alternative drive buses in Barcelona 2019 – 2021

The acquisition of the 23 electric vehicles is part of TMB’s plan to renew and update the fleet of city buses in Barcelona and the metropolitan area with the introduction of 266 electric, hybrid and natural gas buses in the period 2019-2021. The target is clear: by 2030 the whole TMB fleet will be made only of alternative drive buses.

This goal is being supported by funding from EU: in June last year the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced it is granting a 73.5 million euros loan to the public transport company of Barcelona. The money will be used to buy 254 new buses. 116 of them will be electric buses. The new vehicles will be delivered according to a timeline that should be concluded in 2021.