The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G is Electric Bus Champion 2024, winning the electric bus comparison test for articulated buses organised in the spring by the trade magazine “Omnibusspiegel”. As part of IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover, Dieter Hanke, publisher and editor-in-chief of “Omnibusspiegel”, and Kirsten Krämer, editor of “Omnibusspiegel”, presented the award “Electric Bus Champion 2024” to Till Oberwörder, CEO of Daimler Buses, and Mirko Sgodda, Head of Marketing, Sales and Customer Services Daimler Buses.
Till Oberwörder: “The electric bus comparison test organised by “Omnibusspiegel” is one of the most expert and comprehensive practical tests in the industry. This makes me all the more delighted that our eCitaro G has emerged as the winner of this comparison test. The Electric Bus Champion 2024 award is a great tribute to the work of our entire team, who ensure every day that buses bearing the three-pointed star meet the requirements of our customers throughout Europe to a very high degree. At the same time, we see this victory as an incentive to continue to supply our customers with the best possible buses and services.”
At the end of April, more than 40 international trade journalists and transport company representatives assessed the passenger comfort, handling for drivers, workmanship, and ease of servicing of the participating buses – all during four days of test drives through the Bonn district and in a workshop check. The eCitaro G scored the most points in all categories. In 2023, the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro – back then in the solo bus version – had already prevailed against all competitors and won the coveted title.
The eCitaro G entered the test as a four-door articulated bus, equipped with six high-voltage battery packs with a total energy capacity of around 588 kWh, ensuring a suitable range for the 18.13 metre low-floor bus. Like every eCitaro G, the test vehicle was equipped with the dynamic Articulation Turntable Controller (ATC), which ensures optimum steering characteristics, high stability and great manoeuvrability. Also, on board were, among other systems, the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), the radar-based Sideguard Assist turning assistant and the Preventive Brake Assist active braking assistant.
The passenger-friendly passenger compartment of the eCitaro G is the same as in the usual Citaro models and won over the testers of the electric bus comparison test as convincingly as the driver’s workplace, which, thanks to its combination of functionality and comfort, facilitates the handling of the articulated bus. The instrumentation and operation deliberately differ only marginally from the combustion engine version of the Citaro, which makes it easier to switch quickly between vehicles. In the workshop check, the eCitaro G impressed with its extreme ease of servicing and good accessibility to maintenance points.
SOURCE: Daimler
