Rüdiger Kappel, Head of Fleet Sales at Daimler Buses Germany, has handed over 16 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses to Toralf Müller and Nora Wolters, Managing Directors at Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH (VHH).
Based in Hamburg and with around 2,100 employees and 667 buses at 12 locations, VHH says it is the second-biggest public transport company in northern Germany, running 160 routes in the Hamburg metropolitan region.
From this year, VHH will be procuring only locally emission-free buses for use in Hamburg’s city centre areas.
The new buses carry a special slogan: “elexity – Hamburg travels electrically.” VHH will use the elexity brand to combine all aspects of sustainable mobility, from the infrastructure at depots to specially trained personnel and vehicles which run entirely on green power.
All of the new electric buses at VHH have been given a name beginning with the letter ‘E.’ The first 16 names, which include Emil, Edith and Elton, were chosen by employees of the company, and during the handover, VHH invited passengers to take part in a naming competition for further electric buses.
The new eCitaros feature glazed side wall segments in the central area, three double-width doors, USB charging ports, eye-catching seat upholstery and wood-effect floor covering.
12 battery packs provide a total capacity of 292 kWh, and safety equipment on-board includes the Electronic Stability Program, an active braking assistance system and the Sideguard Assist turning assistant.
Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) has a further four eCitaro rigid buses as well as 17 articulated eCitaro G buses on order, which are expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
