Bremer Strassenbahn AG (BSAG) has ordered 35 all-electric eCitaro G low-floor articulated buses from Mercedes-Benz with the latest NMC 3 (NMC: lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide) battery technology. These buses will join the 20 eCitaro solo buses that have been driving on the streets of Bremen since 2022. The vehicles will be gradually rolled out over the course of 2024.

The latest generation of high-performance batteries (NMC 3) come with improved cell chemistry and a modular battery equipment design. Their performance enables long range operation without intermediate charging.

BSAG’s new eCitaro G articulated buses have seven 98.3 kWh battery packs, each with 5,400 cells and a total capacity of up to 686 kWh. These battery packs reliably have a range of 220 kilometers over their entire service life. This covers the daily mileage of BSAG’s regular scheduled city buses.

The buses are recharged using five charging systems permanently installed at the depot, each with an output of 150 kW. They were previously installed by Mercedes-Benz at BSAG’s depot under an earlier supply contract. In addition to this charging infrastructure, including services, the vehicle comes with several 40 kW mobile workshop chargers, also supplied by Mercedes-Benz.

The super-heavy duty version of the maintenance-free on-board electrical system battery has an output of 2 x 220 Ah. The electrical system also includes the integrated on-board diagnostic system (OBD) and a bus data center for using the connectivity services of Omniplus On.

BSAG currently transports around 250,000 people per day with almost 130 trams and around 240 low-floor solo, articulated and midi buses. BSAG’s bus network consists of almost 40 routes with a total length of around 480 kilometers. Around 100 of BSAG’s city buses bear the Mercedes star, of which 83 are articulated buses.

These recently-ordered all-electric Mercedes-Benz eCitaro G buses with NMC 3 battery technology form part of the transport company’s climate protection strategy. By 2025, emission-free local transportation is set to account for around 50% of BSAG’s operating performance (operational kilometers) in Bremen.