In September the eCitaro celebrated its prominent world premiere at the IAA and now its already bringing a breath of fresh air to Hamburg: Mercedes‑Benz delivered the first series production model of an urban bus with a fully-electric drive system to the public transport company Hochbahn AG in Hamburg. It is part of an order for 20 eCitaro buses.
Till Oberwörder: “The Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro is advancing electromobility“
Till Oberwörder, Head of Daimler Buses, handed over the first Mercedes-Benz eCitaro to Henrik Falk the Chairman of the Board at Hamburger Hochbahn AG in the presence of Dr. Peter Tschentscher, Mayor of Hamburg.
Till Oberwörder: “Hamburger Hochbahn AG is one of the recognised pioneers for alternative drive systems in local public transport. In producing the new eCitaro, we have developed a well-thought-out and sophisticated urban bus concept which will make a decisive contribution towards promoting electromobility in towns and cities. We are delighted to be able to deliver the very first series production vehicle today.”
The largest single order for electric buses from a German transport provider
The eCitaro for Hamburger Hochbahn AG is the first of a large order for 20 eCitaro buses – the biggest ever single order for buses driven by a fully-electric drive system from a German transport provider. Prior to this the Hamburger Hochbahn AG looked at several different concepts for urban buses with electric drive systems over a number of years. Starting in 2020 Hamburger Hochbahn AG intends to purchase nothing but emission-free buses. It operates around 1000 buses on 111 lines.
A customised urban bus for the local public transport of the future
The Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro is the first fully-electric urban bus that has been developed and manufactured in Germany. Quiet and emission-free on the road, it is an important building block on the way to reducing emissions, particularly in cities and other built-up areas. It impresses with innovative technology, particularly with its unique thermo-management which is essential for electric buses. It reduces energy consumption and in turn increases range. For example, an energy-saving heat pump heats the interior and heat-radiating components are connected to one another.
The modular battery packages have a total capacity of up to 243 kWh. They are cooled to an ideal temperature in the eCitaro which results in maximum charging, the highest usable capacity and a long life cycle. The batteries are recharged using a plug at the depot. They drive two electric motors at the wheel hub.
The eCitaro‘s elegant design is another reason why it stands out from other buses. It shows that this is obviously a very special Citaro. The three-door version for Hamburger Hochbahn AG boasts a comprehensive range of equipment with LED headlamps, LED exterior and interior lighting including ambient lighting in the passenger compartment, a warning system for closing doors with a red LED light strip, a separate automatic climate control for the passenger compartment and cockpit and ESP, the Electronic Stability Program.
The best-selling Citaro provides the platform for the eCitaro
The new eCitaro is based on the best-selling Mercedes-Benz Citaro. In the meantime there are two generations of the bus and over 50,000 have been sold. It is driven in almost all western and central European cities and on several continents. The bus is available as a Citaro, Citaro hybrid and the Citaro NGT with a gas engine. The four-axle CapaCity bus for large cities is also a close relative of the Citaro.
Comprehensive partnership between Hamburg and Daimler AG
In 2017, the city of Hamburg and Daimler AG agreed on a comprehensive partnership for urban mobility. Jörg Lamparter, Head of Daimler Mobility Services: “Our partnership with Hamburg aims to expand electromobility across the board and promote innovative mobility solutions. For example, we will gradually electrify the car2go fleet and intensify cooperation within the framework of mobility as a service platform moovel.”
Hamburg’s then First Mayor Olaf Scholz and Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Financial Services, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement cooperation in different fields by 2020.