Optare Solo
| Optare Solo & Optare Solo SR | |
|---|---|
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Arriva North West Optare Solo interior
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Optare |
| Production | 1998–2012 (Solo) 2012–present (Solo SR) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class |
Minibus Midibus |
| Body style | Single-decker bus |
| Doors | 1 door or 2 doors |
| Floor type | Low entry |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
Cummins MAN Mercedes-Benz |
| Capacity | 23-37 seated |
| Transmission |
Allison Siemens (hybrid electric) Enova Systems (fully electric) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 7.10-10.20 metres |
| Width | 2.33-2.55 metres |
| Height | 2.73 metres |
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with 1 door or 2 doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its [low-floor status, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension. In January 2012 Optare announced the end of production for the original Solo design with a modified Solo SR taking over.
The original innovative design, featuring a front axle ahead of the entrance door, gained a Millennium product award, along with a Queen's Award for Enterprise. Over 3,800 original model Solos were built. As at March 2016, over 1,000 Solo SRs have been built.
The Solo is an integral midibus (as opposed to a separate chassis and body) built in a modular design, with steel frame and GRP panels. It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz OM904LA engine, which produces 122 bhp (91 kW) or 147 bhp (110 kW) according to specification, and it is typically mated to an Allison 2000 automatic gearbox. Later, options of Cummins ISBe 6-cylinder 185 bhp (138 kW) and MAN engine became available. There was also the option of a 4-speed Allison AT545 gearbox. In 2005 a hybrid Solo was constructed, using a small diesel unit and an Eneco (now known as Traction Technology) battery propulsion unit.
The Optare Solo is available in various lengths, 7.8 m, 8.5 m, 9.2 m, and 9.9 m, all at 2.5 m width. The chassis type code of the Solo carried the length - M780 corresponds to 7.8 m, M850 to 8.5 m, and so forth. Cummins-powered Solos required extra rear bodywork to accommodate the larger engine, which increased the overall length by 0.3 m. However, this is not reflected in the chassis code, so a Cummins-powered M990 Solo is in fact 10.2 m in length.
Along with the launch of the 9.9 m model, the Solo was also first offered with LED-type rear lights, as opposed to the standard rectangular clusters. Seating capacities ranged from 25 for an M780, 29 for an M850, 33 for M920 and 37 for an M990.
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Wikipedia