Foto: SONO MOTORS
Last month, solar technology company Sono Motors launched an innovative pilot project in public transport in Hof in northeastern Bavaria. The bus operated by Stadtwerke Hof was equipped with an advanced version of the Solar Bus Kit, the solar retrofit solution for buses.
The installation was carried out for the first time together with ÖPNV-Service Hagen. The company’s expertise extends to cabling, repair, maintenance and services for local public transport. The company has more than 15 years of experience as a service provider for local public transport and modernizes around 4,000 commercial vehicles every year.
In Hof, a Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 was equipped with 16 semi-flexible PV panels; the installed capacity of the modules is around 1.4 kWp. Double-sided tapes were used for the first time to securely fasten the modules to the roof of the bus. The solar power generated is fed into the battery to support the conventional diesel engine and save CO2 emissions. The material used for this weighs only 50 kg.
The first HofBus bus with integrated Solar Bus Kit from Sono Motors has received road approval from the TÜV and has since been on the road in the city of Hof. At the same time, an identical mild hybrid bus without a PV system is being used. These comparative figures make it possible to optimally compare driving performance and energy consumption on a specific route traveled.
