Retrofit of buses has already been a business long time ago. Re-motorizing including replacement of essential mechanical parts or re-bodying of entire vehicles was commonplace some decades ago, but today electric buses are becoming the dominant segment in urban fleets.
The e-bus transition is taking place in a relative short time with an unprecedent evolution of the involved technology, leading to technological obsolescence of components during the normal vehicle exploitation period. As an example, batteries installed in vehicles produced a decade ago differ significantly in capacity and performance from those designed today.
Polish manufacturer Solaris is now introducing a new service offering called “zero-emission vehicle retrofit” which, through the replacement of specific electric vehicle components – particularly batteries, but also other elements of the drivetrain – extends the lifespan of electric buses. Solaris – today part of Spanish CAF Group – has been producing electric buses since 2011. Today, several thousand of the brand’s electric vehicles are operating across European roads, with some successfully serving passengers for over a decade and covering nearly a million kilometres. The retrofit, that is the post-warranty replacement of EV components with new ones, supports operators in maximising the return on their e-mobility investments.
Zero-emission vehicle retrofit offering is starting with batteries and it involves the modernisation of energy storage systems, thereby improving their efficiency. In this way it is possible to offer the most modern energy storage units improving performance and durability.
The retrofit service offer is comprehensive, including case analysis, calculation, and complete documentation, through the collection of previously used batteries, to the installation of new ones. The service applies not only to battery buses but also to trolleybuses equipped with batteries and IMC systems, and in the future, to hydrogen buses as well. Additional processes include the replacement of necessary electrical components, the upgrade or installation of a BTMS (Battery Thermal Management System, responsible for battery cooling and heating), updates to the BMS (Battery Management System), and ensuring compatibility of the modified batteries with existing charging infrastructure – all this with the aim to significantly extend the batteries’ operational lifespan. The company’s experts offer the optimal battery solutions, based on LFP, NMC, or LTO technologies – all tailored to the customer’s expectations taking into account, the expected battery lifespan, charging and usage methods, the amount of energy required daily for transport operations, and of course, cost.
First Solaris’ clients already show interest, e.g. MPK Kraków. As part of the tender-based contract, Solaris is responsible for post-warranty battery replacement in 20 buses: seventeen Urbino 12 electric and three articulated Urbino 18 electric models. Additional retrofit orders from customers in Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, and Warsaw are currently underway.
