SOLARIS BUS & COACH SPOLKA Z OGRANICZONA ODPOWIEDZIALNOSCIA

Their core work

Solaris Bus & Coach is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of city buses and zero-emission public transport vehicles, headquartered near Poznań, Poland. They design and produce electric buses, hydrogen fuel cell buses, and hybrid vehicles for urban transit operators across Europe. In H2020 projects, they contribute as an end-user and technology integrator — testing fast charging infrastructure, fuel cell powertrains, autonomous driving acceptance, and electromagnetic compatibility in real fleet conditions. Their involvement brings critical industry perspective: they know what urban transit operators actually need and can validate research results against commercial vehicle requirements.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Between 2015 and 2018, Solaris focused squarely on battery-electric bus deployment: fast charging solutions, fleet TCO optimization, and practical electrification of urban transport routes. From 2019 onward, their focus broadened significantly — into hydrogen fuel cell powertrains (VIRTUAL-FCS, StasHH), electromagnetic interference research tied to electric vehicles, and autonomous mobility trust. This shift mirrors the broader European transit industry's move from "can we electrify buses?" to "what comes after batteries — hydrogen, autonomy, and system integration?"

Solaris is clearly pivoting toward hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles and the technical standards needed to make them interoperable across European fleets.

How they like to work

Solaris never coordinates H2020 projects — they join as a participant or third party, which is typical for a large manufacturer that contributes real-world testing environments rather than leading research agendas. With 146 unique partners across 20 countries in just 7 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia. This makes them an accessible partner: they're experienced in multi-national projects, comfortable in supporting roles, and bring industrial validation capacity that research-driven consortia often need.

Solaris has collaborated with 146 distinct partners across 20 countries, indicating deep integration into the European clean transport research community. Their network spans Western and Central Europe, with strong ties to both academic institutions and other vehicle/component manufacturers.

What sets them apart

Solaris is one of the very few major European bus OEMs actively participating in H2020 research — most bus manufacturers stay on the sidelines. They offer something rare: a direct line from research prototype to series production, since Solaris already sells electric and hydrogen buses commercially across 30+ countries. For any consortium working on urban zero-emission transport, Solaris provides the credibility of a manufacturer who will actually build and deploy the technology being researched.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASSURED
  Largest funding (EUR 229k) — focused on standardized fast charging for heavy-duty electric vehicles, directly tied to Solaris's core product line.
• VIRTUAL-FCS
  Marks Solaris's entry into hydrogen fuel cell R&D, building virtual and physical platforms for fuel cell system development.
• Trustonomy
  Second-largest funding (EUR 213k) and an unusual topic for a bus manufacturer — signals interest in autonomous public transport.