With the handover of five battery-electric Mercedes‑Benz eCitaro 12‑meter solo buses, all solo buses from the Darmstadt-based mobility service provider HEAG mobilo are electrically powered.

The new three-door eCitaro is equipped with the NMC3 battery generation. Each of the five solo buses, with their six installed battery packs, achieve a total capacity of 588 kWh and a high range. The vehicles are charged in the depot via plugs. The vehicle-side charging sockets are located on the right and left near the front axle.

Besides from the electric drive, HEAG mobilo attaches particular importance to the safety and equipment of the narcissus yellow-painted e-buses, which have a maximum transport capacity of 70 passengers. In addition to a reversing camera centrally located at the rear, all-round LED lighting technology and a large protective driver’s door, all vehicles have the active emergency braking assistant Preventive Brake Assist 2 with extended pedestrian and cyclist detection on board, which was developed especially for city buses.

The equipment also includes Frontguard Assist, which warns of obstacles or people directly in front of the vehicle, and Sideguard Assist 2, which monitors both the co-driver’s and driver’s side and warns the driver of the risk of collision with pedestrians or cyclists, for example in critical turning situations. Sideguard Assist 2 and Frontguard Assist combine to create a complete warning system that warns of obstacles and persons at the sides and in front of the vehicle.

In addition, the five new eCitaro buses for HEAG mobilo feature, among other things, the intelligent Traffic Sign Assist speed assistant, the TPM tire pressure monitoring system, the Attention Assist system and the Eco Driver Feedback driving style assistant. In addition, the interior of the eCitaro is fully video monitored with four cameras. With its high battery weight on the roof, the eCitaro also comes with roll and pitch control as standard.

With more than 150 buses and trams, the Darmstadt-based public transport operator HEAG mobilo transports almost 50 million passengers per year. In June 2020 HEAG mobilo started its e-mobility offensive.

With the new delivery, the transport company now has 55 electric buses in its fleet, 46 of which are Mercedes brand. HEAG mobilo’s stated aim is to be able to operate all routes in Darmstadt and the Darmstadt-Dieburg district on a fully electric basis in just a few years.