Bizkaibus launches its first two 100% electric buses

The Bizkaia Provincial Councillor for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Miguel Ángel Gómez Viar, unveiled today the first two 100% e-buses to join the Bizkaibus fleet. 

They are Solaris Urbino 12 electric units, 12 metres long and with an integrated low floor, and have involved an investment of €1,090,000 (not including VAT). Their propulsion is purely electric and they have no auxiliary system using fossil fuel, which makes them highly efficient. 

They will come into service on the A3411 BILBAO- Getxo – Azkorri line which runs between the capital of Bizkaia, Erandio, Leioa and Getxo.

“The new Bizkaibus e-buses are an important step forward on the path to sustainable mobility that we are driving in Bizkaia,” stressed Gómez Viar. “The mobility of the future requires vehicles that are increasingly more sustainable, silent and safe. Vehicles that also guarantee the quality of service in terms of accessibility, convenience, etc. That explains our ongoing effort to renew and the need for all the new technologies being incorporated, which happens after they have been previously tested to check that they adapt perfectly to the characteristics of a fleet such as Bizkaibus.”

The Solaris Urbino are low-floor urban buses, without steps in the aisle or in the access areas of the vehicles.  That provides better visibility of the pavement on the right side of the vehicle and, therefore, is safer for users waiting at the bus stops.  The buses are noted for their modern design, durability, easy maintenance and operating, accessibility and environmental friendliness. 

The front display is as wide as the vehicle, which means it can be read even from afar.

They have two double doors, the second one at the back to facilitate the fully loading of the bus with passengers. They are adapted to be used for people with reduce mobility, with an electric and manual double ramp for the central door, fitted with kneeling and lifting mechanisms.

The bus can carry between 68 and 78 passengers (30 seated), depending on the occupancy level of the two places reserved for people with reduced mobility. Twelve out of the 30 seats are at floor level, without a step. There are also two folding seats, one in each of the gaps for wheelchairs, that are also at floor level. 

The charging station, installed at the Bizkaibus terminals in Leioa, was manufactured by EKOENERGETYKA (Smart Energy Systems) in Poland. It has a rated power of 150 kW and two charging hoses, meaning that two buses can be charged at the same time in a 4-hour period.

A further four electric and a total of 35 hybrid buses are planned to be added by the end of the year. This will be the greatest investment so far for a fleet that is increasingly cleaner and lower in emissions. 

Once these vehicles have joined the ones already in service, this will mean that Bizkaibus will have 76 hybrid motorisation and 6 electric buses, nearly a quarter of its fleet (24.4%), by the end of the year.