Pro média

SOR Libchavy, the bus manufacturer, has introduced a prototype of an electric bus and a hybrid bus

4.6.2010

Today at the Autotec 2010 trade fair, the car manufacturer, SOR Libchavy, spol. s r.o., has presented the first release of the prototype of its own electric bus and of the articulated hybrid drive bus using the Allison company system.

"The production of the electric bus and the hybrid drive bus is a part of the growth strategy whose aim is to strengthen the position of the significant European manufacturer in the field of personal road public transport. The basis of this strategy is continuous modernizing and the fundamental emphasis on monitoring of trends in the drive systems with the focus on the ecological aspects of particular types of drive," said Jaroslav Trnka, MSc, managing director of SOR. "The targets of the sale of our new buses are, above all, agglomerations with high ecological burden. I am convinced that these ecological buses will satisfy the requirements of customers and will considerably contribute to the increase of safety and comfort standards for customers," he added.
The SOR company has developed the electric bus, marked as EBN 10.5, in cooperation with the supplier of the electrical equipment - the company of Cegelec, a.s. and with the transport company of DP Ostrava a.s., which will be the very first user of the vehicle. The electric bus has already undergone basic tests including the test operation and all results show that the initial intention to offer a full-value public transport means has turned out well.
The travelling distance in relation to operational conditions ranges between 80 and 150 km per battery charge. The electric bus is equipped with an electric engine of the continuous output of 120 kW, 180 lithium-ion cells, and electronic regulation with recuperation. Standard battery charging time is 8 hours or it is possible to use high-rate charging which takes 4 hours. When using partial charging during parking breaks, the travelling distance and the utilisation of the electric bus can be significantly extended. The total passenger capacity of the electric bus is 85 out of which there are 28 seats. The arrangement of the drive unit (AKU, converter, etc.) at the back of the vehicle enables to offer various unified length versions. Today the electric bus is owned by the transport company of DP Ostrava a.s. where it is also tested and operated.
This year's bus supplies of buses for the Transport Company of Prague a.s. include also articulated buses with hybrid drive, SOR NBH 18. This system, combining a standard diesel engine, an electric engine and batteries, uses the recuperated energy originating while braking for re-acceleration. This results in fuel savings especially in city operation with a lot of stops and re-acceleration procedures. According to the method and demands of the operation, the fuel savings reach about 20% compared to a standard vehicle. The concept of the bus is based on the articulated SOR NB 18 buses which have already been supplied for some time. The Allison technology used in the bus features hybrid drive, i.e. a diesel engine is directly mechanically connected via a special gearbox with an electric engine to the rear drive axle.
As for its other exhibits at the trade fair, SOR introduces the full low-entry trolley bus, TNB 12, which is already available in the articulated version, too. Again, the body comes from the fabricated models, which secures maximum unification of parts with the diesel version for the user. As a prototype, SOR displays the first low-entry three-axle intercity bus, SOR CN 13.5, with the steered third axle to be used on busier lines.
The small SOR CN 8.5 is, on the other hand, designed for less busy routes but it offers the comfort of a common bus. The vehicle enables low-floor entrance for the total of 57 passengers including 25 sitting ones. It is produced also in the automatic transmission version for the city operation. The advantage of this bus is again the unification with the current production program and also the low consumption of fuel which was one of the criteria while constructing the bus.

The company, SOR Libchavy, spol. s r.o., is now the second biggest manufacturer of buses in the Czech Republic. It produces buses in the lengths of 8.5 m, 9.5 m, 10.5 m, 12 m, 13.5 m, and 18 m, in the city, intercity, tourist, low-entry city and low-entry intercity versions with the passenger capacity of 24 to 57 seats. The company exports its products to more than 11 European countries such as Slovakia, Russia, Serbia, Poland, Moldavia, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Belgium.
The annual production in 2009 reached the total of 437 buses, out of which 244 were intercity ones, 165 city ones, 10 tourist ones, and 18 CNG-driven ones. It is obvious from the above-mentioned numbers that the SOR's new full low-entry city buses are becoming more and more popular with transport companies which was the intention of the company management when implementing these buses into the production program.
The company produces buses based on its own construction and has been successfully introducing new products on the market. In 2006, 2 new prototypes of low-entry vehicles were introduced. In 2007, the company started the production of ecological buses driven by CNG; in 2008, it prepared the prototype of a trolley bus, and in 2010, the company introduces an electric bus, a hybrid bus, a low capacity low-entry bus of 8,5 m in length, and also a three-axle low-entry bus, SOR CN 13.5.
Recently, the SOR company has been massively investing into its development - the annual investment is up to about 100 million CZK. A new paint shop complying with the strictest ecological standards has already been started as well as a welding shop and a customer service centre where there is a spare part shop in new premises, and training and service centres. Since 2005, the SOR company is a member of the consolidated part of the J&T group; and since 2009, it is a part of the Energy and Industrial Holding group.
This year, SOR Libchavy spol. s r.o. came second in the Most Admired Companies Awards of the Czech Republic in the field of automotive industry and it won the same award in the Pardubice Region.