Daimler Buses has delivered ten battery-electric Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro city buses with a length of 12 metres to Stadtwerke Bonn (Bonn municipal utilities – SWB). In addition, the entire stationary charging infrastructure with ten charging points was created by Daimler Buses in cooperation with its subsidiary Daimler Buses Solutions GmbH, turnkey and from a single source.
The finished system of electric buses and charging points will be presented on 20 August 2025 by Anja Wenmakers, Managing Director of SWB Bus und Bahn, and Bonn’s Mayor Katja Dörner. The eCitaro buses will be used in scheduled service in the city of Bonn and will complement the electric buses from other manufacturers, which have been part of the SWB fleet for several years.
The complete rapid charging infrastructure for depot charging was set up on the outdoor premises of the SWB depot in Friesdorf. Daimler Buses assumed overall responsibility for all planning and construction services in this project for the gradual conversion of bus operations of Bonn’s public transport system to electric buses. These ranged from all civil engineering and cable laying work to electrical installation and the set-up of charging stations with a total of ten charging points.
The charging infrastructure comprises two charging points with CCS2 plug charging, which supply the eCitaro buses with power via a charging arm design. There are also eight charging points with pantographs as a stationary system, in which the pantographs are mounted on a steel traverse as a cable bridge. When charging, the pantographs lower onto the charging rails installed on the bus roofs (“panto‑down”). The eight charging points are installed on two adjacent bus lanes, each of which has four buses in a row that can be charged simultaneously.
The steel traverse for charging by pantographs is equipped with mobile concrete foundations, so that it is reasonable easy to move the structure to another location and rebuilt there.
The ten new battery-electric eCitaro solo buses from SWB have three entrance doors and charging rails on the bus roof, which enable charging via the pantographs mounted on the charging station and lowerable onto the vehicle roof. There is also a charging socket on the right above the front axle on each vehicle, with which CCS2 plug charging is also possible. Five NMC3 battery packs with a total output of 490 kWh per electric bus enable long ranges.
Equipping the eCitaro buses with “SmartCharge” charging control optimises the service life of the batteries. In order to be prepared for the use of Omniplus On connectivity services, the Bus Data Centre is also installed as standard in the new e-buses of the Stadtwerke Bonn. Other highlights on board the Mercedes-Benz electric buses are the facilities for ID-based ticketing and a passenger counting system.
State-of-the-art safety and assistance systems complement the equipment of the new eCitaro buses for the SWB. This includes a 360° camera system that allows the driver to see the entire area in front of, behind and to the sides of the bus from a bird’s-eye view. In addition, Sideguard Assist 2 monitors both the co-driver’s side and the driver’s side and warns the driver of the risk of collision with stationary and moving pedestrians, cyclists or obstacles. Frontguard Assist warns of people or obstacles immediately in front of the vehicle.
The equipment also includes the active emergency braking assistant Preventive Brake Assist 2 with extended pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as the intelligent speed assistant Traffic Sign Assist, the tyre pressure monitoring system (TPM) and the attention assistant Attention Assist (AtAs).
The transport capacity of the new eCitaro is over 80 passengers. A wheelchair parking space is located in the special-purpose area opposite the central entrance door, where a manual folding ramp makes it easier for disabled passengers, senior citizens and parents with prams to enter. Tactile handrails on the entrance doors with a fluted handle profile provide visually impaired passengers with a haptic signal to enter and exit the vehicle.
The video-monitored interior features City Star Function seating with 31 seats. It is heated or cooled by the EvoThermatic basic roof-mounted air conditioning system with heat pump and an active filter with antiviral function. The grab rail system in traffic yellow creates an attractive, visually appealing contrast to the seating, floor covering and roof lining in elegant grey tones, which is also easily perceptible by people with visual impairments.
On board, 12 dual USB sockets allow passengers to charge and use their mobile devices. A large 29.4-inch TFT monitor is installed in the centre aisle at the height of the first two seat rows. It informs passengers about the route and other important events along their route.
The driver sits on a rotating driver’s seat with folding armrests, seat heating and their own climate control. They benefit from the electrohydraulic intelligent eco steering and are protected by an SWB-specific driver’s cab with toughened safety glass and voice openings that extends across the entire width of the driver’s workplace up to the windscreen.
