Daimler Buses to join the VDV electric bus conference next week

Daimler Buses is going to be present at VDV’s industry conference “Elekbu” in Berlin with a Mercedes eCitaro and its digital service offerings from OMNIplus ON. More generally, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer will be presenting comprehensive and sustainable solutions for the electromobility of today and tomorrow in the form of its electric city buses and innovative concepts with hydrogen range extenders.

By now, more than 600 eCitaro buses are already in daily use by European customers, and since 2020 have also been used as an articulated bus with particularly high passenger capacity. In 2021, almost one in two all‑electric city buses sold in Germany came from Daimler Buses.

Daimler Buses aims to offer zero emission vehicles in every segment by 2030 (both battery and hydrogen-powered). Starting in 2023, the Mercedes eCitaro will be also equipped with a hydrogen-based fuel cell as a range extender. The first full electric intercity bus will be launched in 2025.

Mercedes eCitaro at VDV ElekBu

ElekBu takes place on July 12 and 13 in Berlin at the 13th electric bus conference of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).

The Mercedes eCitaro battery-powered city bus available in further variants: range extender with fuel cell from 2023 and next-generation high-performance batteries (NMC 3) from end of 2022

Kay Vollmer, expert in high-voltage systems at Daimler Buses, will provide a presentation on the topic of “Rest areas for safety-critical e-mobility” on July 12 at 5:20 pm. Experts from the eMobility Consulting team will also be on site to enable transport companies to discuss their needs and ideas. A three-door Mercedes-Benz eCitaro will be on display, featuring second-generation high-performance lithium-ion NMC batteries (using nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide chemistry).

Mercedes eCitaro news: hydrogen range extender

From 2023, Daimler Buses will also be equipping its battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro city bus, which has been in series production since 2018, with a hydrogen-based fuel cell as a range extender. Daimler Buses is thus expanding its fully electric product portfolio in the city bus segment with a vehicle that has a range of up to 400 kilometers (solo bus). As currently the only range extender variant of this kind on the bus market, the high-performance low-floor bus with zero local emissions can be driven even on topographically demanding routes and covers practically all range requirements of transportation companies. Another benefit of the new configuration is its optimized weight distribution. This means that the vehicles can accommodate significantly more passengers. The solo bus, for example, has a passenger capacity of 88 persons.

Mercedes eCitaro with new NMC batteries

The drive system continues to be based on the battery of the latest NMC 3 generation. The fuel cell serves only to extend the range and does not function as the main energy source. This means that the vehicle is an all-electric hybrid bus that combines both power sources. Due to the relatively low power requirement of the installed Toyota fuel cell, it can always operate within its optimum performance range and thus achieve a service life of up to 40,000 hours. The hydrogen is used in gaseous form at a pressure of 350 bar, which is already available at many transportation companies today.

Daimler Buses will also be offering the eCitaro with a new generation of high-performance batteries from the end of 2022. The high-energy lithium-ion batteries from supplier Akasol “will increase the capacity per battery cell by around 50 percent at the same weight and make reliable ranges of around 280 kilometers (solo bus) possible. The batteries will be used in the eCitaro, the eCitaro range extender and the recently presented all-electric eO500U chassis from Brazil”.

On request, the complete infrastructure can be added to the eCitaro, including conversion measures required by depots and charging technology from a single source. For transport companies, this means turnkey e‑mobility with city buses using customized vehicles and equally custom infrastructure from competent planning to timely commissioning.

In addition to the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro on display, experts from Daimler Buses will also be presenting digital eServices innovations as part of the Omniplus On Portal at info terminals, as well as the path to turnkey solutions for charging infrastructure.