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After designing its concept EQ electric car and launching it in sometime around this month, Daimler Benz has designed a fully electric city bus under its subsidiary brand EQ which is completely focused on electric mobility.
The city bus will be delivered to its first customer Rhein Necker Verkehr GmbH at the end of 2018. The first models of fully electric Mercedes-Benz city bus will be manufactured in Mannheim.
On its production and collaboration here is what top officials of the company have to say :
Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses – “Our bestselling Mercedes Benz Citaro is built in the EvoBus plant in Mannheim, our Centre of Competence for city buses. Naturally, this also applies to the electric version, which we are currently preparing for series production. I am therefore pleased that our first customer for the fully electric city bus also comes from the Rhein Neckar metropolitan region, In the very proximity to our location, the cooperation with Rhein Neckar Verkehr GmbH enables us to gather important findings about the daily operation of our fully electric Citaro and for the urban public transport of the future.”
Martin in der Bee, Technical director of RNV- “In regards to local public transport electric mobility for city buses is one of the future topics – not just since the discussion about nitrogen oxide emissions in cities.”
Overview of Citaro
The electric bus will have lithium-ion batteries installed through which it gets its driving power. For charging, Mercedes-Benz will accommodate necessary intermediate charging ports in the city. It will be a rear wheel driven vehicle because of the electric motors connected to the rear axle.
It will also be equipped with intelligent onboard electric and thermal energy management system which will boost up the efficiency of the vehicle.
Company’s official website has claimed that the bus has been tested at the chilly regions of Arctic circles and heated region of Spain’s Nevada. And the results were positive in both the scenarios.
