Mercedes launches Citaro G Blue Tec Hybrid Bus
Mercedes-Benz builds more than fancy li-ion hybrid cars. The company's buses, notably the Citaro series, are quite a common sight in European cities. The German company has announced that the new generation of the Citaro G model, known as "bendy-buses" in England, will include BlueTec technology (NOx reduction with AdBlue) paired up with hybrid technology, making it the first series production hybrid bus available for European markets. The Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid uses the most powerful lithium-ion battery installed in any model, totalling 320 kWh. Mercedes claims that the bus is not only green but much cheaper to operate and promises 30 percent fuel savings. Deliveries will start in about seven months.
[Source: Autoplus]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 6:09PM (6/06/2009)
Great news, but what happened to the good old 'trolley bus', the electric one that gets its power from overhead cables?
Reply
km 11:00AM (6/07/2009)
Well for example Greece's bus transportation system is so ubiquitous and goes to so many places that cables simply don't make sense.
It's hard to explain in words if you haven't experienced it. I would suspect most European countries share in this experience, making a hybrid a more efficient and immediate alternative.
Reply
Mr.Marshall 11:27AM (6/07/2009)
Yeah, overhead-cable powered buses are really hard to find in European cities!
That's what makes this inventionen pretty reasonable.
And I'd say 30% fuel saving is a word!
I mean how many kilometers does one bus in passenger services drive a day and how much gasoline does he use up - 30% is REALLY a big deal!
Reply
Nick 3:06PM (6/07/2009)
Wrong, I am European, and there's lots of cities with modern EV buses using overhead cables. Switzerland has TONS of them.
I suppose it's costly to install, but I suppose they pay for themselves.
Emil 4:09PM (6/07/2009)
Also there are plenty of them in the former Soviet Union.
It's like electric railways. In a couple of years the investment pays for itself. Many rural lines still work on diesel power.
Maybe the solution is hybrid buses with cables. As long as it goes on a main road - the power comes from electric lines and the battery is charged. After the lines split, the bus can keep going by electricity for another 10 miles.