The year 2025 in local public transport in the Italian city of Asti is getting off to an electric start and, at the same time, is also celebrating a European premiere: the public transport operator Asti Servizi Pubblici S.p.A. (in brief: ASP S.p.A.) in the Piedmont region receives the first battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro K buses that have been manufactured since the start of series production in autumn 2024.
The four compact premiere vehicles with a length of just 10.63 metres have been handed over together with 12 eCitaro12-metre regular-service buses as result of a tender. In addition, another eCitaro solo bus was ordered in autumn 2024. This means that ASP S.p.A. will have a total of 17 new battery-electric regular-service vehicles at its disposal in the future.
Mercedes-Benz eCitaro K: ASP S.p.A. uses eMobility in a compact format
With a turning circle of only 17.28 metres, the four compact 10.63-metre eCitaro K vehicles of ASP S.p.A. are particularly suitable for application in local public transport with narrow, winding routes in the city centre and suburbs of Asti. With a wheelbase of 4398 millimetres, which is around 1.5 metres shorter than that of the eCitaro, the new eCitaro K electric buses offer great manoeuvrability as well as outstanding handling characteristics and a high passenger capacity.
Long range and overnight charging
Equipped with six battery packs each, the 17 battery-electric city buses have the maximum configuration of the eCitaro from the current NMC3 battery generation. This means that each of the new regular-service vehicles of ASP S.p.A. has a maximum battery capacity of 588 kilowatt hours (kWh) and can achieve a range of around 400 kilometres under favourable conditions.
The electric buses are charged overnight at charging sockets in the Italian transport company’s depot.
Plenty of space, comfort and safety
The 17 new battery-electric buses in the characteristic red and white painting of ASP S.p.A. are each equipped with two entrance doors. A manually operated wheelchair ramp facilitates access for passengers with mobility difficulties, elderly passengers and parents with pushchairs. The air-conditioning system in both eCitaro variants is equipped with a highly efficient heat pump.
Maximum safety for drivers and passengers is guaranteed by the digital video surveillance system in conjunction with active filters with an antiviral function in the interior and numerous modern safety and assistance systems. These include Brake Assist, Sideguard Assist 2, Frontguard Assist, Traffic Sign Assist and Attention Assist.
The four eCitaro K vehicles have 26 seats and 54 standing places as well as a wheelchair space. They therefore offer space for 81 passengers (plus driver). The 13 eCitaro 12-metre solo buses are designed to carry a maximum of 77 passengers (plus driver) on longer routes. Each bus provides 30 seats, 46 standing places and a wheelchair space.
Transparency: Omniplus eServiceContract reduces costs
The conclusion of an Omniplus eServiceContract with a term of 12 years ensures the availability of the 17 new electric regular-service buses from ASP S.p.A. over a long period of use. In addition, the total cost of ownership of the transport company will be reduced to a precisely calculable, manageable and cost-saving level.
The new eCitaro for Asti already has the Bus Data Centre installed on board as standard as an interface to the digital services from Omniplus. In the Italian region of Piermont, for example, the Omniplus On Uptime pro service is used to improve the availability of the fleet. Fault messages and important diagnostic information are transmitted to the workshop in real time to reduce service times.
