Its official world premiere is yet to come, but the first major order has already been placed: Mercedes-Benz will deliver 20 of the new, fully electric Citaro city buses to Hamburger Hochbahn AG. The first two units will be handed over before the end of this year.
Till Oberwörder, Head of Daimler Buses: “The first major order for our fully electrically powered, emission-free Citaro has been received even before the official premiere, demonstrating the confidence transport operators have in our concept for electromobility in urban public transport. With the Citaro, we are bringing a major component on the way to locally emission-free bus traffic to market.”
This is a view shared by Hamburger Hochbahn AG, where the city buses are seen as a milestone on the way to the green bus fleet. From 2020 Hamburger Hochbahn AG plans to procure emission-free buses only.
The new, fully electrically powered Citaro will enter series production before the end of this year. It particularly impresses with its maximum energy efficiency. This is based on a unique thermal management system. It reduces energy consumption, and therefore increases operating range. An energy-saving heat pump is used to warm the passenger compartment, for example. Electric motors near the wheel hubs power the rear axle.
The modular structure of the batteries is also typical of the Citaro. They have a total capacity of up to 243 kWh. The batteries are cooled to the ideal temperature for maximum charge, maximum usable capacity and a long service life. The batteries are charged at a connector in the bus depot. After the series start-up of the Citaro, further variants for intermediate charging en route will become available.
The new, fully electrically powered city bus is based on the globally best-selling Mercedes-Benz Citaro. This has now notched up sales of over 50,000 units over two generations, is in operation in almost all major western and central European cities and performs sterling service on several continents
