Polish company ARP E-Vehicles presented its latest electric bus, the Pilea 12E. The vehicle made its debut during the 16th Transexpo International Fair of Public Transport in Kielce. ARP E-Vehicles president Piotr Śladowski said that the new vehicle completes the range of buses produced by the company under the Pilea brand.

“We already have developed ten-metre and eight-metre vehicles. The newest bus – the Pilea 12E – is twelve metres long and is a response to the needs of the market”, said Śladowski.

One of the advantages of the new bus is a flat floor along the entire length of the vehicle. The batteries are located in the floor, thanks to which the vehicle’s centre of gravity is set low, which improves the driving properties. In Poland, Pilea buses are in operation in Konin.

“Drivers say that driving the Pilea is more akin to riding a tram than an electric bus. The lighter design also means lower energy consumption per kilometre”, emphasised Śladowski.

The CEO stressed that the Pilea is entirely Polish engineering, designed by Polish engineers using as many components of domestic and European origin as possible. The company does not use supplies directly from China and that region of the world, so it has not experienced problems with disrupted supply chains.

“We are also introducing a programme of replacing more foreign components with Polish production. We are cooperating with several companies in this regard”, announced Śladowski.

It is possible that Pilea buses will soon roll out onto the streets of European cities. Last month, the company signed its first contract with an official distributor to handle tenders and service the buses on the Greek market. According to the manufacturer, the Pilea 8.6E buses are ideal for the conditions of Greek cities, i.e. narrow streets, where high manoeuvrability is needed.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński