GERMANY
Fourteen Mercedes Benz eCitaro G articulated buses are being delivered to the cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm. The first two electrics from Daimler Buses were handed over on 1 July in the presence of Ulm’s Mayor Martin Ansbacher, Neu-Ulm’s Mayor Johannes Stingl, public transport operator SWU’s Managing Director Klaus Eder and Transport Managing Director Ralf Gummersbach, and Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses. Six more eCitaro G buses will follow in the autumn, and the remaining six vehicles will be delivered next year.
The articulated buses, powered by NMC3 batteries, meet all the criteria required by operator SWU Verkehr, including a minimum required range of 150 kilometres and telemetrics-based vehicle diagnostic systems, as well as driver assistance systems that increase active safety.
The 18.3-metre-long eCitaro G buses are fitted with four doors and equipped with a total of five NMC3 battery packs, promising 490kWh of energy. The new articulated buses can be charged not only in the bus depot using sockets on the left and right-hand side above the front axle, but also during the day using opportunity charging via a pantograph on the bus roof. A roof-mounted camera system enables the bus to approach the pantograph charging station with maximum precision.
The buses are fitted with Daimler’s Sideguard Assist 2, Frontguard Assist and active braking assistance Preventive Brake Assist 2.
SWU Verkehr transports over 39 million passengers each year using a fleet of 69 buses which cover a total of 4.5 million kilometres. The company employs around 320 people.
