The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro has reached a milestone: since series production of the low-floor electric bus began in 2018, more than 2,500 units have been delivered to customers. Large numbers of the eCitaro are plying the streets of German cities such as Stuttgart, Hamburg, Bonn, Dresden, Bremen, Wiesbaden, Nuremberg and Mannheim, and they are also in operation in France, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and other European countries.

“Thanks to ongoing further development, the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro has continued its success story,” says Mirko Sgodda, Head of Marketing, Sales and Customer Services at Daimler Buses. “We have continuously improved it in terms of drive variants, safety and range. On request, Daimler Buses supports customers in the transition to electromobility with turnkey solutions from a single source, consisting of electric buses, charging infrastructure and depot management.”

The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro is based on the legacy Citaro, Mercedes-Benz’s all-time best-selling city bus. It was launched in 2018 as a 12.14-metre-long solo bus with a battery capacity of up to 243 Wh. Today, it can be equipped with four to six battery packs, using Mercedes-Benz’s third-generation NMC battery, delivering a total capacity of up to 588 kWh. The eCitaro model family now includes the 10.63-meter eCitaro K and the 18.13-meter eCitaro G articulated bus, which can be equipped with up to seven battery packs with a total capacity of up to 686 kWh.

Starting in 2026, all eCitaro variants will be equipped with the company’s new NMC4 batteries, which will enable more capacity, longer service life and charging speeds of up to 300 kW.

For an electric city bus, energy consumption is strongly influenced by the cooling and heating of the interior. From the outset, the thermal management system of the eCitaro reduced the energy required for HVAC by around 40 percent compared to the legacy ICE Citaro. The high-voltage batteries are maintained at an optimum temperature, and the passenger compartment is heated by a heat pump.

All versions of the eCitaro are equipped with a wide range of driver assistance systems: the radar-based Sideguard Assist and Frontguard Assist; the Traffic Sign Assist speed assistant; the Tyre Pressure Monitoring system; and Attention Assist are standard equipment.

An optional 360° camera system is available for the solo buses and a 270° camera system for the articulated buses. Other optional features include the Preventive Brake Assist 2 emergency braking assistant and the MirrorCam camera system, which replaces the exterior mirrors.

Several charging options are available for both depot charging and opportunity charging. The charging socket can be mounted in four different positions, and the eCitaro is also available with a pantograph or charging rails in addition to the charging socket.

Source: Daimler Buses