German Car Scene

Munich gets Mercedes-Benz hybrid bus

Posted 25th September, 2011 in Mercedes-Benz | Leave a comment

Thanks to Mercedes-Benz, the citizens of Munich now have their first hybrid bus. Market Launch Manager, Ulrich Piotrowski, handed the Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid Omnibus over to Busservice Watzinger’s Jörg Schuchtmann, earlier this week.

The new bus, which consumes 20 percent less diesel, is part of the city’s “Munich District Energy Vision” project, which aims to shed 60 percent off the region’s energy consumption by 2050.

The diesel-electric hybrid layout of the Citaro sees the use of motors, providing a total output of 320 kw, located close to the bus’s middle and rear hubs. These are fed by either the roof-mounted 240 kW lithium-ion battery system or the 4.8 L diesel engine, which is – at 450 kg – less than half the weight of the regular 12 L unit.

Wearing the number 266, this Citaro will be responsible for the route between Planegg suburban railway station and the Grosshadern hospital. A delighted Jörg Schuchtmann commented, “The hybrid bus will now allow an almost noiseless and emissions-free service in the vicinity of the hospital.”

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]