Solaris Hybrids for Tampere are first order from Finland

Solaris has received its first order from Finland. Two eco-friendly Urbino hybrid buses will join the fleet of Tampere’s Tampereen Kaupunkiliikenne (TKL) by the end of the year. Thanks to this continued international growth, Solaris will now be present in 25 countries.

Solaris works with local specialist Valmet Automotive to develop the Finnish market, with Valmet acting as in an advisory role to Solaris. Just two months after the start of this cooperation, Tampereen Kaupunkiliikenne (TKL) have bought two climate-friendly Solaris Urbino Hybrid buses, fitted with parallel hybrid systems supplied by Eaton. The buses will join TKL’s fleet before the end of the year.

“Finland is another Nordic country that will operate Solaris buses. We are delighted to further increase our presence in Europe and we are sure that Finnish passengers will like our eco-friendly buses just as much as their counterparts in Sweden, Norway and Denmark,” said Małgorzata Olszewska, Global Director Sales & Marketing at Solaris.

The Solaris Urbino Hybrid buses for Tampere combine a 44 kW electric engine with a Cummins diesel engine meeting the EEV emissions standard. Power is transmitted through a six-speed automated gearbox contained in the hybrid drive unit. Energy recuperated during braking is stored on-board in lithium-ion batteries and is used for subsequent acceleration.

Municipally-owned TKL operate buses in the western Finnish city of Tampere. The largest city outside the Helsinki Capital Region is known as the “Manchester of Finland” thanks to its industrial history and heritage. 300,000 people living in the Tampere agglomeration are served by TKL’s 30 routes, operated with a fleet of 135 buses.