Details of Cars

Autosan Sancity: Sanok’s low-floor city bus

AUTOSAN

Autosan Sancity 12LF in Dębica
An Autosan Sancity 12LF in Dębica. Photo by Patryk2710, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Autosan Sancity 12LF and 12LE are maxi-class city buses produced in Sanok from 2010. The low-entry 12LE came first, followed by the low-floor 12LF, and the range later gained CNG, battery-electric and hydrogen versions.

Autosan Sancity at a glance

Autosan Sancity key facts
Maker Autosan, Sanok, Poland
Production since 2010
Class maxi city bus
Family modular M1xLx
Versions 12LF low-floor, 12LE low-entry
Engine Iveco Cursor 78 ENT EEV
Power 213 kW (290 hp) or 243 kW (330 hp)
Gearbox Voith Diwa5 or ZF Ecolife automatic
Capacity 96–110 passengers, 27–41 seated
Axles ZF RL 75EC front, ZF AV 132/80 rear
Derivatives 12LF CNG (2018), 12LFE electric (2021), 12LFH hydrogen (2021)
Planned output 70–100 buses a year

History of the Autosan Sancity

The low-entry 12LE

Autosan Sancity 12LF CNG of MZK Przemyśl
Autosan Sancity 12LF CNG number 464 of MZK Przemyśl. Photo by DriverPl, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The low-entry Autosan M12LE Sancity debuted as a prototype at the Transexpo fair in Kielce on 16 September 2009, aimed at suburban and local services, and was also shown at Busworld in Kortrijk in October 2009. After homologation at the turn of November and December 2009 it went to selected customers for trials, and the first series vehicle appeared under the changed trade name Autosan Sancity 12LE. The low-entry layout made it the first member of the modular M1xLx family to enter production.

The low-floor 12LF

The prototype 12LF, internally the M12LF and at first intended to be sold as the M12LF Sancity, was built in the first half of 2010 on the basis of the 12LE. It was first shown publicly at the SilesiaKOMUNIKACJA fair in Sosnowiec on 20 May 2010. It differed from its relative in the rear: a low floor, a different drive axle, the engine in a tower and the rear display set to the right, with a body 12 cm shorter and 35 cm lower. Series production began in the second half of 2010.

The body is a space frame of welded square and rectangular tubes in corrosion-resistant steel, with aluminium and plastic side panels glued to the frame, plastic front, rear and roof and aluminium side flaps. The interior carries 96 to 110 passengers, 27 to 41 of them on Kiel Ideo or Ster Motyl seats, with laminated side and ceiling panels and a non-slip floor. Power comes from an Iveco Cursor 78 ENT EEV of 213 kW (290 hp) or 243 kW (330 hp), driving through a Voith Diwa5 or ZF Ecolife automatic with a retarder. The front axle is an independently suspended ZF RL 75EC, the rear a ZF AV 132/80 portal axle, and ECAS suspension control allows the bus to kneel at the kerb. Electrics run on a CAN bus managed by a KIBES 32 computer, and a fire-suppression system and passenger counter were optional.

Alternative drives

At the launch Autosan planned CNG, biofuel, trolleybus and hybrid versions, but only some reached production. A Sancity 12LF CNG prototype was shown at Transexpo in 2016 and series production began in 2018, the first two going to the municipal operator in Przemyśl; it uses a Cummins L9NE6E320 of 235 kW (320 hp) and roof-mounted tanks holding 1,280 dm³ of gas. The battery-electric 12LFE was shown as a prototype in Sanoku in October 2019, entered series production in 2021 and its first 15 examples went to Częstochowa. The hydrogen 12LFH prototype followed at Transexpo in October 2021, with a TM4 electric motor, ZF axles and 1,280 litres of hydrogen tanks, and was tested by the Kraków operator in 2022 and 2023.

Design and features

  • Two floor heights: the low-entry 12LE for suburban work and the low-floor 12LF for city routes.
  • Corrosion-resistant body: a welded steel space frame with glued aluminium and plastic panels.
  • Kneeling: ECAS suspension control lowers the bus at the kerb.
  • Automatic transmission: Voith Diwa5 or ZF Ecolife with an integrated retarder.
  • Growing range: CNG, battery-electric and hydrogen versions followed the diesels.

Autosan Sancity versions

  • Sancity 12LE: low-entry version, the first in production.
  • Sancity 12LF: low-floor city version from 2010.
  • Sancity 12LF CNG: compressed-gas version, series from 2018.
  • Sancity 12LFE: battery-electric version, series from 2021.
  • Sancity 12LFH: hydrogen prototype of 2021.
  • Smaller Sancity models: the 9LE, 10LF and 18LF complete the city range.

The Sancity was the city member of a range that also included the Tramp and the mini-class Wetlina. More Sanok buses are in the Autosan collection.

Video: Autosan Sancity 12LF – bus on tests in Warsaw

Video on YouTube.

Sources

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