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Swiss-based Company Orders 54 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro Electric Buses
Swiss based company, Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) orders 54 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro electric buses.
Following a tender and intensive testing of several vehicles, Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) has ordered a total of 64 electric buses from Mercedes-Benz. 54 of these electric buses will be eCitaro while the remaining 16 will be an articulated eCitaro G buses.
Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe, a 125 year old public transport operator in the Swiss city of Basel, plans to electrifies half of its fleet soon and the entire fleet possibly later.
According to reports, BVB Director Bruno Stehrenberger said the vehicles will enter service over the course of the coming year.
“We’re really pleased that from spring 2023 almost half of our fleet will be electrically powered. Our bus fleet will therefore become more environmentally friendly, quieter and more modern,”.
The next step, around 2027, might be the purchase of an additional fleet of 64 electric buses to replace all diesel vehicles.
“In 2027, an optional order of a further 64 buses will follow. As part of the changeover, the depot, garages and their infrastructure will be completely redeveloped.
To recharge the vehicles, only electricity from renewable sources will be used. What’s more, at the terminal bus stops of five longer routes, stations for intermediary charging will be built.”
The buses for BVB will be equipped with ten battery modules, which probably means 330 kWh per pack.
Mercedes-Benz recently switched to the second-generation lithium-ion (NMC chemistry) packs from Akasol, which are more energy-dense (33 kWh per module, compared to 25 kWh previously). A single bus can be equipped with 9-12 modules (296-396 kWh per pack).
The first buses with 330 kWh battery packs were recently delivered to ÜSTRA in Hanover, Germany.
The other option for Mercedes-Benz buses is solid-state batteries – Bolloré’s subsidiary Blue Solutions Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP) – up to 441 kWh (seven times 63 kWh).
