Solar panel on Munich Trailer bus

[chiltern trev]

I raised this thread as a link came my way for the use of solar panels on a trailer bus.

The article was interesting for 2 reasons:

1. Use of solar panels on a bus

2. A trailer bus - not very common but apparently Munich has 57 and a Munich contractor has 56.

So are there other instances of using solar panels on a bus roof?

And is there more info on these bus trailers and why Munich has so many. Makes a change from the usual bendy bus.

A bus trailer using solar technology in Munich - Urban Transport Magazine

A bus train operated by the Munich Transport Company (MVG) will in future be on regular service with solar cells on the roof. MVG officially presented the vehicle on Thursday, March 31, 2022 together with the start-up Sono Motors, which developed the photovoltaic system, and Katrin Habenschaden...

www.urban-transport-magazine.com

 

[dutchflyer]

About that panels I dont know-its likely brand new and the main part of this item.
Trailer buses behind normal buses were once much more common, but mostly in the german speaking world, probably also due to local regulations. They were mostly superseded by the all-over articulated=bendibus (gelenkbus in german), which even made it in tiny nrs to the UK.
Main reason is the very heavy and just for an hour or so scholars transport everywhere in DE between 7-8.00 (schools tend to start at 8.00 there). So could be left roadside till afternoon peak or next day-to save fuel etc. I am not overly technician, but it seems to me the usual standard (built in the 1000s by the well-known busbuilders every year) buses of today are not really fit anymore to trail something behind.
Another manifestation were once the luggage trailers (much smaller) behind certain touristy lines. Or the last years-again mostly DE, the bike-trailers on sunny weekends.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

How do these "trailer buses" couple up to the towing vehicle?
Under UK law, passengers cannot be carried in trailers connected by a standard "tow-ball" drawbar: to carry passengers requires a more substantial connection such as a "fifth wheel" (as seen on articulated LGVs), and a radio link between the towed vehicle and driver.

 

[30907]

How do these "trailer buses" couple up to the towing vehicle?
Under UK law, passengers cannot be carried in trailers connected by a standard "tow-ball" drawbar: to carry passengers requires a more substantial connection such as a "fifth wheel" (as seen on articulated LGVs), and a radio link between the towed vehicle and driver.

Photos in the linked article show a substantial triangular drawbar with an electrical connection, plus 2 side panels which I imagine are to stop people climbing on/across.
As others have mentioned, the idea is a revival of an older one. Munich IIRC is not too hilly, which is an advantage presumably.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

A full-length bus as a trailer? Seems impractical. Was this actually reported on the first of April?

 

[AndrewE]

A full-length bus as a trailer? Seems impractical. Was this actually reported on the first of April?

Read the linked article: there are lots of pictures and references to other places using them

The photovoltaic system is installed on the trailer of a so-called “bus train”, i.e. a combination of towing motorbus and bus trailer. The trailer built by manufacturer Göppel, model G13 and numbered 5912, has been in use on Munich’s city bus lines for several years already. Bus trains are very common in Munich, with 57 owned by MVG itself and a further 56 operated by sub-contractors on MVG routes.

 

[185]

A full-length bus as a trailer? Seems impractical. Was this actually reported on the first of April?

If it is a prank, they've gone to a lot of effort in this piccy...
(Credit, Munich Evening Paper)

Front bus is a Solaris, a builder owned by CAF... probably Flintstones granite wheels given the trains they build.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I saw my first trailer bus in Osnabrück, where I think they're still in service. Quite remarkable if you've never seen one before.