First customer for all-electric Citaro is based close to where the bus will be manufactured
GERMANY Rhein Neckar Verkehr GmbH will be the first customer for the fully-electric Citaro city bus from Mercedes-Benz. Representatives of the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus GmbH and Rhein Neckar Verkehr GmbH have signed a corresponding memorandum of understanding. The first vehicles will be delivered at the end of 2018, and then go into regular operation in the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region as part of customer trials. This means that the first examples of the fully electric Mercedes-Benz city bus will remain close to home – as they are produced in Mannheim.
Apart from the delivery of vehicles, the two partners have agreed to closely exchange their findings during day-to-day regular service operations.
“Our bestselling Mercedes- Benz Citaro is built in the EvoBus plant in Mannheim, our Centre of Competence for city buses,” said Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses. “Naturally this also applies to the electric version, which we are currently preparing for series production. I am therefore pleased that our first customer for the fully electric city bus also comes from the Rhein Neckar metropolitan region. In the very close proximity to our location, the cooperation with Rhein Neckar Verkehr GmbH enables us to gather important findings about the daily operation of our fully-electric Citaro and for the urban public transport of the future.”
“In regards to local public transport, electric mobility for city buses is one of the future topics – not just since the discussion about nitrogen oxide emissions in cities,” said Martin in der Beek, Technical Director of Rhein Neckar Verkehr. “We as a company want to do much more than just move with the times and react. We want to actively shape the growth of electric mobility in local public transport. In EvoBus, we have found a powerful and important partner, to test the benefits of the technology and the appropriate operating strategies in everyday service, together with our passengers.”
The fully electric Mercedes-Benz Citaro receives its drive energy from lithium ion batteries. The modular design of the battery pack means that individually customised solutions can be devised to match a wide range of applications and requirements in city traffic. As well as the possibility of charging from a power socket at the depot, Mercedes-Benz can also optionally supply the Citaro with intermediate recharging solutions. The vehicle is powered by electric wheel hub motors at the rear axle.
One of the particular features of the Citaro with all-electric drive will be the precise refined thermal management of the bus’ drive and climate control systems. This thermal management reduces energy consumption significantly. As a result the range will be extended without changing the size of battery.
“We are convinced that the Citaro with battery electric drive and intelligent onboard energy & thermal management is a milestone for the urban public transport of the future. We are developing our electric bus very carefully for dependable operation in a hard operating routine,” said Hartmut.
