The UITP Congress in Vienna will mark the world debut of the Mercedes Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid Bus – the first of the new generation of fuel cell models from Daimler buses.
According to the company, the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid represents a step towards zero emission public transport and an important element in the development of the mobility solutions of the future.
The process of developing fuel cell technology by Daimler Buses began in 1997 with the NEBUS research vehicle, which was the world’s first bus to be equipped with a fuel cell drive system. The Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid, which was recently launched, is a diesel-electric hybrid drive. Now the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid is the latest developed.
From autumn, Mercedes Benz Buses will put the bus through testing in a large scale fleet across several European cities. A total of 36 buses equipped with fuel cell drivers have already performed well in service with 12 public transport operators as part of the CUTE test carried out by the European Union from 2003 to 2006.
It is estimated that the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid can achieve hydrogen savings of between 10 and 25 per cent depending on the traffic conditions and topography. Compared with previous fuel cell buses it will consume much less hydrogen thanks to a hybrid drive with a sophisticated control unit.
The event in Vienna takes place from June 7-11.
