A dedicated electric platform lets Daimler Buses drop the compromises of a diesel-derived bus as city fleets move to electric drive
Daimler Buses has revealed the next Mercedes-Benz eCitaro in near-production form, its first city bus engineered from the outset as electric, ahead of a market launch in 2028. Lithium iron phosphate cells replace nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry, and the articulated version sheds around 750 kg.
Battery capacity scales in packs of about 50 kW/h, six to 12 on solo buses, with charging at up to 450 kW by pantograph or rail. ZF’s AxTrax 2 LF portal axle gives low-floor models up to 360 kW, so the articulated bus needs only one driven axle, while a new controller manages braking and recuperation wheel by wheel.
Today’s eCitaro, delivered more than 4,600 times, sits on a platform first designed for diesel. Its successor, to be built in France, Germany and the Czech Republic, premieres at Busworld Europe in October 2027, as Daimler Buses presses the EU to delay its coach CO₂ target to 2033, citing slow charger rollout.
In a statement, Till Oberwörder, Chief Executive of Daimler Buses, said: “We are clearly committed to Germany and Europe as business locations: This is where we are developing and producing the next generation of our electric city bus. Europe has the expertise and the industrial base for the mobility of the future. The EU must create the right conditions to ensure that industrial value creation here remains competitive. To achieve this, we need simple and consistent rules across national borders, without exceptions. And we need them now, not in the next decade.”
Source: Daimler Truck
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
