'Benz to shake up bus offering

Alongside some truck safety tech advances and two new European Actros models, Mercedes-Benz also showcased a raft of new bus developments recently, including new Mercedes-Benz Intouro and eCitaro G models plus a host of electric drive developments.

Unveiled by the head of Mercedes-Benz Buses, Till Oberwörder, at the brand's socially distanced and livestreamed 'NOW & NEXT' event in Wörth am Rhein, Germany, on September 23, the new models represent a significant update of the brand's bus division, and shone a light on the company's roadmap towards carbon-neutral public transport.

Related reading:
Mercedes-Benz unveils new truck safety tech
New 'Benz Actros models revealed
Mercedes-Benz GenH2 concept unveiled
Daimler and Volvo fuel-cell partnership gains pace

The German firm's raised-floor bus, the Intouro, is billed as a flexible all-rounder than can handle a wide variety of roles from shuttle to travel coach, and the platform has come in for a significant update.

The Intouro is said to now offer a fuel economy improvement in the order of up to three per cent thanks to its optimised aerodynamics, while a later hybrid model will boost the savings by up to nine per cent.

The new Intouro is the first Mercedes-Benz bus with Active Brake Assist 5, offering autonomous emergency braking for both stationary and moving objects. It’s also the brand's first interurban bus to come equipped with Sideguard Assist as standard, which warns the driver of potential nearside blind-spot collisions – especially with pedestrians and cyclists – when the bus is turning.

Other features include a coach-style cockpit with central colour TFT display and multifunction steering wheel as standard, auto lights and wipers, a new lighting concept with bi-xenon headlamps, and an electronic park brake.

The raised floor provides room for luggage while the Intouro also features a customisable passenger compartment.

"It [Intouro] provides for a broad range of use," said Oberwörder.

"During the week, for example, it can serve as a school bus or take people to work. On the weekends it can be used as a travel coach, taking the local soccer team to tournaments or the hiking club to its next expedition. That means our customer can make the most of this bus – they can literally deploy it 24/7."

Further expanding the brand's battery-electric eCitaro platform is the new articulated eCitaro G with new solid-state battery, the latter supplied by French group Bolloré.

Able to transport just under 150 passengers, the eCitaro G with solid-state battery (SSB) is said to have capacity to easily handle high passenger volumes on most city bus routes, while the SSB also delivers sustainability, safety and efficiency benefits.

Mercedes-Benz says solid-state batteries are free of cobalt and nickel – they have no solvent so they're easier to recycle. They also offer long-term performance due to their low self-discharge rate while they require no active cooling.

"This is a very promising technology," said Oberwörder.

"We are happy to be among the first manufacturers in our industry to offer this battery to our customers."

The arrival of the solid-state battery in Europe this year will be followed by a next-generation lithium-ion battery in 2021 with around 30 per cent more capacity, plus a hydrogen fuel-cell based range extender in 2022.

"With this broad range of electric drive technologies, we can then cover almost all usage cases of our customers," said Oberwörder.

"We're working with dedication on our plans for sustainable transport."

Mr Oberwörder also said Mercedes-Benz Buses would share news related to its touring coach platform next year. No announcements have been made regarding potential local availability of the new Intouro or eCitaro G models; trucksales will bring you more information as it comes to hand.