New three-axle flagship to join Irizar’s electric interurban range

Irizar’s electric interurban bus line-up will soon gain another member: the Spanish manufacturer will stage the world premiere of the three-axle version of the normal-floor Irizar i3 Electric, unveiled last year, at the FIAA 2026 trade fair in Madrid, to be held from 22 to 24 September. The new 15-metre variant will be the highest-capacity model yet in the manufacturer’s electric interurban range. The company will also exhibit its latest vehicles for urban, interurban and long-distance transport, as well as its electromobility solutions, at the event, which will feature more than one hundred participants. The official premiere of the key new products will take place on 22 September at 13:30.

The solo version of the Irizar i3 Electric Normal Floor made its debut last year at Busworld Europe. Like Irizar’s other electric buses, the model was first presented as an integral, self-supporting vehicle; however, as with the Low Entry version, it is also available on electric chassis supplied by various major component manufacturers. What is more, the latter configuration is already offered in both two- and three-axle versions.

The manufacturer has not yet released detailed technical specifications for the new 15-metre model to be presented, but based on its product strategy to date, it is highly likely that Irizar’s in-house technology will once again be in the spotlight. This is also suggested by the fact that the model will debut before a domestic audience at the FIAA exhibition in Madrid, where the Spanish manufacturer is expected to emphasise its own development and production capabilities. Accordingly, it seems more likely that the vehicle to be unveiled will not be a version built on an electric chassis from an external manufacturer, but a three-axle variant based on Irizar’s in-house developed, integral, self-supporting electric platform, which could become the new flagship of the manufacturer’s electric interurban range.

As a preliminary indication, the type’s 14.99-metre length makes almost full use of the length limit permitted under EU regulations for three-axle buses. In the solo version, propulsion is provided by a centrally mounted ZF CeTrax 2 electric motor delivering 260 kW of nominal power and 325 kW peak output, with maximum torque reaching 1,500 Nm. The larger three-axle variant, however, is likely to receive the more powerful 360 kW continuous-output version of the CeTrax 2, which Irizar already uses in its three-axle hydrogen fuel cell coach.

Battery capacity is not yet known either, but based on the solo version’s largest battery pack, rated at 528 kWh, it is likely that the three-axle variant will have at least the same energy storage capacity. At the same time, thanks to its higher permissible gross vehicle weight, the three-axle version has greater weight reserves, so it cannot be ruled out that the manufacturer will present the new model with an even larger-capacity battery pack, or at least offer such a configuration for the type. Irizar has designed the model for a top speed of 100 km/h and operation with a range of more than 400 kilometres, which could make it suitable for serving longer regional and interurban routes as well.

The cover image is an illustration, source: MBI.