With the handover of ten Mercedes‑Benz electric buses on last Wednesday, the share of electric buses in the fleet of the mobility service provider HEAG mobilo will increase to around 65 percent.
This means that electric buses from Mercedes‑Benz are now used on all lines in the operating area.
The vehicles were handed over by Rüdiger Kappel, Head of Sales Public Transport Germany at Daimler Buses, and André Herrmann, Sales Public Transport Hessen at Daimler Buses, to HEAG mobilo Managing Directors Johannes Gregor and Arne Rath with the symbolic presentation of a charging plug at the Böllenfalltor depot.
Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro articulated bus
The new eCitaro is equipped with the NMC3 battery generation.
This means that the eCitaro articulated bus, with its seven installed battery packs, achieves a total capacity of 686 kWh and a range of around 220 kilometres.
The vehicles are charged in the depot via plugs. The charging sockets are located on the right and left near the front axle.
Exemplary equipment: safety and passenger comfort
The electric drive aside, HEAG mobilo attaches particular importance to safety and equipment.
In addition to a reversing camera, a large driver protection window and Active Preventive Brake Assist, all vehicles are also equipped with Sideguard Assist, a turning assistant that supports the driver in critical turning situations.
In addition, the interior of the eCitaro is fully video monitored with six cameras.
The equipment is completed by two special-purpose areas with wheelchair support surfaces and integrated mother/child seats, as well as double USB charging ports distributed in the side walls and two ultra-wide displays in 29-inch 32:9 format for the Infotainment range.
Digital services support operational optimization
Like all buses from Daimler Buses, the new eCitaro from HEAG mobilo are equipped as standard with the Bus Data Center as an interface to the digital services from Omniplus.
The Darmstadt-based company uses the Omniplus On Uptime pro service, for example, to improve the availability of the fleet.
Fault messages and important diagnostic information are transmitted to the workshop in real time to reduce service times.
The Omniplus services On monitor Time Management, with which the mandatory driver card and mass memory downloads can be carried out remotely and time-saving, and On monitor consumption analysis for evaluating and optimizing energy consumption, are also in use at HEAG mobilo.
About HEAG mobilo
In June 2020 HEAG mobilo started its e-mobility offensive.
Including the new delivery, the transport company now has 49 electric buses in its fleet, 40 of which bear the trademark 3-pointed star.
HEAG mobilo’s stated aim is to be able to operate all lines in Darmstadt and the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg on a fully electric basis in just a few years.
This is one reason why HEAG mobilo is continuing to electrify its fleet and has already placed an order for six new Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro buses.
Read more: New eTruck challenge: Germany seeks solution to lack of data on EVs
