VHH orders over 350 e-buses from Daimler & MAN

In what it claims to be the largest e-bus tender in the company's history, MAN Truck & Bus and Daimler Buses have received the contract from Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH). At MAN, the Hamburg transport company has placed orders for up to 100 Lion’s City 12 E buses, and with Daimler Buses, there is an option for a total of 250 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro solo and articulated buses. According to the accompanying press release, the recent order will more than quadruple the size of the emission-free VHH fleet.

"The VHH is a central driver of the transport transition in the Hamburg metropolitan region. We have a clear vision in mind: by the 2030s, we want to be locally emission-free. To achieve this goal, we are now significantly increasing our e-bus fleet. The large orders placed with MAN Truck & Bus and Daimler Buses represent a true milestone on the way to becoming an e-mobile company," said VHH Managing Director Dr. Lorenz Kasch.  

The delivery of the first new vehicles – 48 MAN Lion’s City 12 E, 47 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro solo buses and 48 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro articulated buses – is scheduled for the first half of 2024. Both manufacturers guarantee a range without intermediate or recharging stops, depending on the model, between 200 and 300 km. The new electric vehicles come standard with extensive safety equipment such as braking and turning assistance systems.The equipment includes, in addition to comfortable seats and USB charging ports, wooden floors and an ambient lighting concept that allows various moods to be created inside the bus.

More details about the Daimler electric vehicles

The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro comes in a three-door solo version and a four-door articulated version. According to the manufacturer, they feature the latest battery technology with highly efficient NMC3 batteries. An energy capacity of 490 kWh for the solo and 588 kWh for the articulated bus ensures a sufficient range without intermediate charging. The eCitaros are charged at the VHH depots, with charging sockets both left and right at the height of the front wheel arches providing high flexibility in refueling.

For safety on board the Daimler electric vehicles, the active brake assistant Preventive Brake Assist, the turning assistant Sideguard Assist, and the acoustic environment protection Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) are included. The eCitaro also comes standard with roll-pitch control and, as a solo bus, the electronic stability program ESP and, as an articulated bus, the articulation turntable controller ATC.

In the interior, equipped with passenger counting systems, passengers can expect a friendly interior with wood-look flooring and cushioned seats of the City Star Function type from in-house production. Passengers with handicaps will find one special-use area for wheelchairs and/or strollers in the eCitaro solo version and three in the articulated bus. USB double charging ports at all seats and 29-inch format TFT screens ensure information and entertainment on board.

More details about the MAN electric vehicles

Like the eCitaro solo buses, the 12-meter long MAN Lion’s City 12 E are also equipped with three doors, which ensure rapid passenger change at bus stops. The MAN electric vehicles are equipped with six battery packs, each with a total capacity of 480 kWh. Pleasant temperatures in all seasons are ensured by the "particularly sustainable CO2 air conditioning system," which according to MAN works more environmentally friendly and significantly more efficiently, positively affecting the range as well. The compact roof-mounted system is operated with climate-neutral carbon dioxide (R744) instead of the conventional refrigerant R134a.

In large steps

Currently, VHH has 86 e-buses, mostly operated from the Bergedorf depot in the east and the Schenefeld depot in the west for line operation. Seventeen more e-buses and eleven e-sprinters will be put into service in the coming weeks, bringing the VHH e-bus fleet to a total of 114 vehicles by the second quarter of 2023.