Public transport company ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft from Wiesbaden in Germany’s Hesse region has ordered 56 Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro electric urban buses, switching a fifth of its bus fleet to electromobility.
The busses are fully electrically powered and locally emission-free. The state capital of Hesse will receive the first ten eCitaro buses and the remaining buses will be delivered next year.
The first 15 eCitaro busses for Wiesbaden will be equipped with current-generation lithium-ion batteries and each eCitaro is equipped with twelve battery packs with a total capacity of 292 kWh.
And the remaining 41 eCitaro will be equipped with high energy density solid-state batteries. This means that seven battery packs are sufficient in order to provide a battery capacity of 441 kWh.
All 56 buses will be charged by plug in the depot. Mercedes-Benz will supply the complete system including the construction measures for the infrastructure. The existing depot will be reorganised, modified and equipped with charging stations. This includes building the transformer station for converting medium-voltage to low-voltage electricity as well as the installation of cables on the site.
Customised IT solutions specialist IVU Traffic Technologies will provide charging management, ensuring that all buses are charged with the necessary amount of electricity for their next trip.
“We are now starting to realise our vision of emission-free driving in Wiesbaden’s public transport. And in this regard, we want to take the lead in Germany,” said ESWE managing director Frank Gäfgen.