Irizar’s Polish fleet expands further: 31 new ie buses enter service with GZM

The Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis (Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolia, GZM) has completed its largest zero-emission vehicle procurement to date, covering 73 electric buses. The metropolitan association, which organises public transport for 41 municipalities in southern Poland, has strengthened its fleet with 42 Solaris Urbino electric buses and 31 Irizar ie buses, with the handover of the latter marking another important milestone in Irizar’s steadily growing presence in Poland.

Under the now-completed project, GZM procured a total of 73 battery-electric buses and 45 charging units for a gross value of nearly PLN 305 million. The investment was largely financed by Poland’s National Recovery Plan (KPO), which covered more than 94% of the eligible costs.

The 31 buses built by Irizar – 16 articulated and 15 solo ie buses – are being allocated between Sosnowiec, Świerklaniec, Katowice and Gliwice. PKM Sosnowiec has received eight 12-metre vehicles, while PKM Świerklaniec has taken delivery of seven buses of the same length. Of the 18-metre articulated versions, nine will strengthen the fleet of PKM Katowice and a further seven that of PKM Gliwice. The “Zielony Transport GZM” project, comprising the 31 Irizar buses and 20 charging units, forms part of GZM’s zero-emission fleet development programme. The total value of the investment was PLN 133.7 million gross, with more than 91% of the eligible costs covered by KPO funding.

As part of the project, Irizar e-mobility this time supplied not only the vehicles but also delivered the complete charging infrastructure. This included the installation of 18 dual-output 80 kW (2×40 kW) charging units, one three-output 120 kW (3×40 kW) unit and one 180 kW (3×60 kW) charger, together with the required electrical infrastructure. The chargers were installed at the transport operators’ depots, making this the first Irizar project in Poland in which the manufacturer supplied not only the vehicles but also the complete charging infrastructure as a turnkey solution, from design through to implementation.

Neither GZM nor the manufacturer has published the detailed technical specifications of the buses delivered. However, based on the public procurement documents, the 12-metre vehicles were required to have an electric motor with an output of at least 160 kW and batteries with a minimum capacity of 400 kWh, while the 18-metre articulated versions were expected to feature a driveline of at least 240 kW and batteries with a minimum total capacity of 530 kWh. On this basis, the actual total battery capacities can only be higher than the minimum figures mentioned above. As for the direct drive system, the solo versions are most likely powered by a centrally mounted, European-built electric motor supplied by Accelera by Cummins, which as part of the ELFA III driveline package is capable of delivering 185 kW of rated power and 290 kW of peak power. The articulated versions, meanwhile, are likely to use the higher-output variant of the same ELFA III driveline package, also supplied by Accelera by Cummins, with 285 kW of rated power and 375 kW of peak power.

With this latest handover, Irizar has further strengthened its presence in Poland. In recent years, the Basque manufacturer has won a series of electric bus tenders in the country: after Kraków, Bielsko-Biała, Warsaw, Nowy Sącz and GZM, several dozen Irizar ie buses are already in service or will soon enter operation in Poland. The 31 vehicles handed over now are also part of the same wave of orders, clearly demonstrating that Irizar has become an increasingly strong player in the Polish electric bus market in recent times.