The public transport provider in the metropolitan region of north-western France,  Métropole Rouen Normandie, has ordered ten electric buses from Daimler. The ten eCitaro are to be delivered this summer and the public transport provider will be utilising different battery technologies for the vehicles.

There are issues with the solid-state battery buses Daimler delivered to the city of Wiesbaden in February. The 21 Mercedes-Benz eCitaros have been out of service for a good two weeks as their batteries are undergoing checks due to an insulation fault that could lead to short circuits.

They are the only manufacturer of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles on an industrial scale – and yet they are hardly in the spotlight: French Bolloré subsidiary Blue Solutions developed and commercialised batteries with solid-state electrolyte years ago. Their most prominent customer is Daimler.

Hamburg public transport operator Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) has completed the tender for a further 32 electric buses. The contracts were awarded to Irizar, MAN and Volvo. Delivery of the new vehicles is scheduled to begin at the end of 2021.

Wiesbaden’s public transport operator, ESWE is building electric momentum as the first Daimler buses with solid-state batteries arrive. Now ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft added corresponding charging infrastructure.

In Germany, Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) has ordered five Mercedes-Benz eCitaro with solid-state batteries to arrive in early 2022. The scope of supply also includes five permanently installed charging systems, each with an output of 150 kW, as well as three mobile workshop chargers of 40 kW each.

Mercedes-Benz is supplying three units of the new all-electric eCitaro G articulated bus to Switzerland. They will be used by the Eurobus transport company to provide a fast connection between two university locations of the ETH in Zurich.

The French Rennes Métropole municipal association has commissioned the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus to supply 92 eCitaro buses. The 33 solo and 59 articulated fully electric buses shall go into operation successively between 2022 and 2025 in the Breton capital’s STAR bus network.

The Mercedes eCitaro G articulated bus has celebrated its world premiere. The electric bus is now also optionally available with solid-state batteries that can provide a range of up to 220 kilometres. Mercedes has also revealed more on the series production of the eActros.

In Germany, the Darmstadt transport company HEAG mobilo has ordered 24 eCitaro electric buses from the Daimler subsidiary EvoBus including eleven solo and 13 articulated buses. The fleet should arrive at the Böllenfalltor depot from the third quarter of 2021 and replace older diesel vehicles.

Hamburger Hochbahn has now published the list of suppliers for the procurement of up to 530 electric buses to be delivered in the years 2021-2025. Daimler Buses, MAN and Solaris were awarded the contract.

Mercedes-Benz has presented the articulated version of its electric city bus as eCitaro G and says deliveries will begin before the end of this year. The manufacturer also announces the first battery update – for both solo and articulated models.

In Austria, Viennese public transport operator Wiener Linien will launch tenders for 62 purely battery-electric buses and ten hydrogen fuel cell buses next year. The first vehicles included in the tender are to be put in passenger service from 2023. By 2027 at the latest, a total of 82 buses should have alternative drive systems.

Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group intend to establish a joint venture to develop and build fuel cells for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Although the letter of intent just signed is non-binding, a final agreement is expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

The transport company SWEG, headquartered in Lahr in the Black Forest in Germany, will bring the first Mercedes-Benz eCitaro REX from series production to the road. Daimler announced that two new Fuso eCanter that have gone into mail-delivery operation in Dublin.

Public transport operator Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) has now taken delivery of its 16 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses ordered in April 2019. Another four eCitaro solo buses and 17 eCitaro G articulated buses are to be delivered by the end of the year.

Mercedes-Benz has received another major order for its eCitaro. The public transport operator Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG (ASEAG) ordered up to 27 electric city buses. The first seven eCitaro buses have already been handed over.

In order to completely electrify the bus traffic in the city centre from the Northern German city of Hanover by 2023, the public transport operator ÜSTRA ordered 48 new electric buses. After the Europe-wide tender has been completed, Daimler has been awarded the framework contract.

Daimler has set up a central charging station for electric buses at their Mannheim bus plant. It is designed for charging by cable as well as by pantograph. The station is used to charge the eCitaro during production and before delivery.

Following various orders from German transport companies, Mercedes-Benz is now delivering the first export orders for the eCitaro. A total of 20 copies of the electric bus model will be exported to other European countries.

Mercedes-Benz has received a major order from the ESWE public transport operator in Wiesbaden for the electric city bus eCitaro. The local transport company of the Hessian capital ordered a total of 56 units of the electric bus, which is manufactured in Mannheim.

The Hamburg-Holstein Transport Authority (VHH) in Germany has ordered 16 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro models that should be delivered at the end of 2019. According to Daimler, this will be the first time the fully electric city buses will feature the new maximum configuration with twelve battery packs and a total capacity of 292 kWh.

Following the first deliveries of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro in Germany, Daimler reports that the first calls for its electric bus have now also been received from neighbouring European countries, namely Luxembourg, France and Poland.

In Germany, Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV) has commissioned three fully electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro buses for use in Heidelberg’s historic city centre and Mannheim’s new Franklin district. The corresponding agreement between the public transport company and Daimler was signed in 2017.

Germany’s Akasol has got to work on the next generation of power packs for Daimler’s eCitaro electric bus. The next-gen batteries shall stay the same size but deliver 330 kWh rather than the initial 243 kWh. Series production will begin in 2020.

Finally, Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps of its all-electric bus, the eCitaro. At the world premiere in Germany, the firm said battery-electric vehicles mark only the start of a large family of zero emission buses. Next generations with fuel cells and solid-state batteries are to allow for ranges hitherto unthinkable in the bus business.