Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr will be the first customer for Mercedes-Benz’s full electric city bus though Daimler is keeping its new product close to home.
Daimler subsidiary EvoBus and Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr have signed a memorandum of understanding and the first vehicles will be delivered at the end of2018 for operation in the Rhein-Neckar metropolitan region as part of customer trials.
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“This means that the first examples… will remain close to home – as they are produced in Mannheim,” Daimler said in a statement.
“Apart from the delivery of vehicles, the two partners have agreed to closely exchange their findings during day to day regular service operations.”
The EV is a variant of the Citaro city bus line and is powered by lithium ion batteries sending electricity to electric wheel hub motors at the rear axle.
Daimler claims precise refined thermal management of the bus’s drive and climate control systems reduces energy consumption significantly, extending range.
Prototypes have successfully run through initial winter testing at the Arctic circle as well as summer testing in the heat of Spain’s Sierra Nevada.
Endurance testing and detailed refinements will now follow, so the EV can offer maximum availability on a par with that of a diesel city bus.
