SOLARIS counts on diverse and innovative portfolio of buses

In an interview with Dhiyanesh Ravichandran, Solaris Bus and Coach CEO Javier Calleja elaborates about the Polish bus maker’s strategies on product portfolio and transition to zero-emission technologies – battery-electric and hydrogen included – for the European markets

“Our strategic objective is to serve our customers by offering ‘right’ solutions that perfectly meet their demands. We believe that a wide range of product and technology portfolio is a necessity, also for the industry’s quicker transition to zero-emission public mobility.

Europe is the emerging hotspot for electric city buses in the world, next to China. Experts ascertain a fleet size of around 4,000 electric buses across the continent at present, of which about one-fourth accounts for those manufactured by Solaris Bus and Coach S.A. It is one of the leading bus and trolleybus manufacturers in Europe, also expected to be the largest e-bus producing brand in terms of volumes. Just a month ago, the company bagged an order for 20 battery-electric buses for the Polish city of Jaworzno.

With over 25 years of experience in the bus industry, having manufactured more than 19,000 vehicles so far, the CAF Group (Spain)-owned company is setting new standards in zero-emission mobility solutions, including hydrogen fuel cell buses. The Solaris range also includes conventional diesel buses, hybrid variants (series and parallel systems) with batteries, and supercapacitors along with low-emission CNG. The company is also known for fabricating a variety of bi-articulated and trolleybuses, inter-city, special application buses, and trams. Its latest 24-meter Trollino 24 MetroStyle double articulated trolley bus has won the International Top Design award during the Arena Design 2020 event in Poznan. Excerpts from the interview: