Solaris Bus & Coach has signed a contract to supply 40 articulated electric buses to Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB) GmbH. The first vehicles will arrive in Leipzig in the second half of 2026.
Credit: Solaris Bus
The public transport operator in Leipzig has ordered 40 Solaris Urbino 18 electric buses with a modular drive system. These modern, zero-emission vehicles will expand the fleet in one of Germany’s fastestgrowing cities. Each bus will carry up to 120 passengers, with two of them to be occasionally used for driver training. The first 15 vehicles will be delivered in the second half of 2026, and the remaining 25 in mid-2027.
Each Urbino 18 electric for Leipzig will be fitted with Solaris High Energy batteries offering a usable capacity of over 570 kWh. The vehicles can be charged both at the depot via plug-in and through a pantograph. They will also feature the eSConnect fleet management system, including remote activation of the preconditioning function while the bus is charging.
The contract also covers the installation of advanced safety and comfort systems. The buses will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system, monitoring the area in front of the vehicle and on its right-hand side, as well as a speed assistant. In addition, the vehicles will include a solution that monitors driver concentration and fatigue levels. The operator has also opted for an automatic passenger counting system with sensors at all doors.
Germany has long been one of Solaris’s most important markets. More than 4,500 Solaris vehicles are already in service across the country, including over 800 zero-emission ones – battery-electric hydrogen and trolleybuses. To date, the manufacturer has supplied more than 200 buses to the LVB fleet. Following the delivery of the latest order, Leipzig will welcome its first fully electric Solaris buses.