Daimler Buses unveil eCitaro with NMC4 batteries

The next-gen NMC batteries are set to be showcased at the UITP Summit 2025 in Hamburg from the 15th to 18th of June. That week, they will only be featured in a two-door solo demo bus, but critically, will be introduced to the market next year in both the long and short versions of the eCitaro G and the eCitaro K.

The new NMC battery packs have a 111 kWh capacity, i.e. a higher energy density with the same battery size. This should provide range improvements of up to 500km for the solo and 400km for the articulated model. Currently, the maximum charging power is set at 150 kW, but Daimler Buses specified that this will be increased to 300 kW in future. Additionally, the NMC4 battery generation will have a ‘very long service life’, although Daimler Buses has not specified exactly how long.

Readers may recall that the current-gen NMC3 battery was first introduced by Daimler Buses in September 2022. This was based on cylindrical cells of the format 21700 (21mm diameter, 70mm length), whereby 600 cells are fitted per module and nine modules are mounted per single pack. That translates roughly to energy content of 98kWh per pack. On the current 12m-long eCitaro solo bus, it’s possible to install up to six packs (i.e. 588kWh); on the 18m-long articulated version, it’s seven (686kWh). That translates to a range of around 400km for the electric solo and 300km for the articulated bus, which you can compare with the NMC4 figures in the table below.

*Equipment with maximum battery capacity
**Equipment with maximum battery and H2 capacity

The current NMC3 packs are assembled at Akasol in Hessen, Germany. However, from 2026, the NMC4 packs will be assembled in Poland by the local subsidiary of BMZ Holding, which entered a strategic partnership with Daimler Buses to expand production at its site in Gliwice.

daimlertruck.com