Sicily's Bus Fleet is Electrified

In the metropolis of Catania, seven Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses will be deployed in the future – the solo electric buses were ordered by the local transport company AMTS Catania, which operates the city bus fleet in the Sicilian metropolis at the foot of Mount Etna.

“We are pleased that we can contribute to equipping another island in the Mediterranean with this emission-free and climate-neutral technology,” said Petros Spinaris, Board Member of Solaris for Sales, Marketing, and After Sales.

Details: Real-time vehicle data

The Urbino 12 electric is powered by a central electric traction motor, and energy is provided by Solaris High Energy batteries with a total capacity of over 350 kWh – this ensures all-day operability on scheduled routes, writes the Polish bus manufacturer. The electric buses are charged overnight at the depot via a plug-in charging station after the end of shifts.

The low-floor Solaris Urbino 12 electric come in the fleet colors of AMTS Catania, red and blue, and offer space for 88 passengers, including 26 on seats. For safety, a video surveillance system is on board. Destination displays with stop announcements as well as passenger counting systems complete the equipment.

To optimize the monitoring and management of the emission-free fleet, Solaris uses the eSConnect system. The software provides, among other things, access to real-time vehicle data and continuous fault analysis. So far, Solaris has delivered over 200 electric buses to Italian cities such as Bolzano, Bergamo, Milan, and Venice. With the electric drive, 12 hydrogen buses are also equipped, which are in use in passenger transport in Bolzano.