Daimler Buses Netherlands has won a tender with operator HTM for a minimum of 95 battery-electric solo and articulated Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and eCitaro G city buses for The Hague, along with the necessary electrification infrastructure by 2024.
The Hague is the third-largest city in the Netherlands as well as the country’s parliamentary and governmental seat and the capital of the province of South Holland.
The low-floor electric buses will have a length of 12 and 18m and come with NMC 3 battery technology. The new eCitaro buses will replace the existing bus fleet operated by HTM, which run on natural gas. This move will make HTM the first public transport operator in the country to convert its whole fleet to being emission-free at tailpipe.
At the same time, Daimler Buses will plan and install the electrification infrastructure, including charging infrastructure and charging management, that is necessary to operate these buses. This package also includes the required civil engineering measures for the HTM depot in The Hague.
Joost van der Bijl, CEO of Daimler Buses Netherlands, said:We are very pleased that HTM has placed its trust in us. The fact that HTM chose us after an extensive tender process confirms to us that we are on the right track with our solution for e-mobility. We are therefore looking forward to the start of our long-term co-operation with HTM and the joint realisation of a green The Hague.
The NMC 3 batteries feature lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide cells. The buses will be charged at HTM via pantographs.
All eCitaro buses in the HTM fleet will have multiple safety assistance systems, such as the cornering assistant Sideguard Assist with pedestrian detection, and Preventive Brake Assist, an active braking assistant for urban buses.
Internally, one of the features of these buses is that the climate-control system allows the driver to regulate the temperature at their work space separately from the temperature in the passenger compartment.
