Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid is a family of low-floor articulated hybrid buses from the Solaris Urbino series for city communication services. The production began in 2006 by Solaris Bus & Coach in Bolechowo near Poznań in Poland. From 2008 the buses of second generation are being produced.
History
The first generation of Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid was built between 2006 and 2008. From the second half of 2008, the models are built in the second generation. They have been produced by the use of similarities with the Solaris Urbino 18.
The characteristic of the Urbino 18 is a green dachshund. Various hybrid versions include specific symbols. The hybrid models have a dachshund which is in between two hearts which symbolise the two types of power.
During the production of the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid model, four types of hybrid power systems have been implemented. The different versions can be distinguished by the difference in the interior, like that of the Paris transportation system BRT type - BHNS, which differentiates it from the Solaris Urbino series bus family.
From the autumn of 2010, 18 buses have been produced with the Allison I and Allison II systems.
Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid Allison
In the Autumn of 2006 on the trade fairs in Hannover the world premier occurred of the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid with hybrid power. The model was made with the cooperation with Allison Transmission and Cummins, which already had been engaged in previous hybrid bus models in North America. The main part of the model is the Cummins ISLe4 engine with 8.9 litre displacement which generates 248 kW (340 HP) of power. The second main part of this model is the EP50 system of Allison Transmission with the Allison Ev50 engine. The concept is created by the use of one diesel engine and two electric engines with each having 75 kW of power output, which links with the Ev DRIVE module. The system also uses the produced energy when braking, which is accumulated in a nickel-metal hydride batteries located on the roof in the front of the vehicle. The prototype appeared in mid-2006 and went into production in 2007. The location of the electric and diesel engines is in the front part of the bus between the two doors.
The first Solaris Urbino Hybrid 18 was sold in 2006 to Dresden. In 2007 3 buses were sold to Leipzig and Bochum (delivered in January 2008) in Germany and Lenzburg in the Swiss canton of Aargau. In 2008 the modernised model came to Bern, Glonn, Hannover, Munich and Poznań. In 2009 a test vehicle of the Solaris company was given to PKM Sosnowiec from 2008.
In second half of 2008 the Solaris Urbino 18 Hybrid model went through several levels of modernisation and now it is considered to be at the second generation by the producer. Most of the changes are that of the power system of the electric hybrid engine, making a smaller and lighter engine, the Cummins ISBe5 250B with a volume of 6.7 litre and the power of 178 kW. The changes meant even lower fuel consumption - the older engine has reduced fuel usage by 15% compared to purely diesel propulsion while the new engine saves 23-24%. Thanks to further optimisation the Solaris is planning to reduce fuel consumption by 30%. Due to a lighter engine, the other power systems, like the batteries and Dual Power Inverter Module which are on the roof, work at an increased rate and produce more power. Due to this the model has also undergone a makeover of the general body, such as the aerodynamics, meaning only an air conditioning module can be fitted on the front of the bus. The estimated time for future modernisation, when new modules will be able to be added, is said to be about in 6–7 years, with an average usage of 60000 km per year.