Green vehicle enthusiasts in Hamburg saw the wave of the
public transit future last week with the unveiling of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro
FuelCELL Hybrid bus. The Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid is part of Daimler Auto Group’s
2010 rollout of fuel cell vehicles in Hamburg, Germany. The city’s public
transit system will feature 10 Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid buses by December 2010
along with 20 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell fleet cars. These first peeks at a
production version of the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid were made possible through
years of planning by Daimler, the Hamburg City Council and other partners.
The Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid was part of Daimler’s HyFLEET:
CUTE trial run in the past six years. This trial period examined the performance
of 36 Citaro prototypes in daily operation for 12 transit fleets worldwide. Daimler
gathered fuel mileage, power and maintenance across 140,000 hours and 1.4
million miles of operation from 2003 to 2009. The Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid
acquitted itself well in these tests, demonstrating a 50% fuel savings compared
to the first prototype. Daimler representatives state that the Citaro FuelCELL
Hybrid achieves a 155-mile range thanks to improved fuel cells and lithium-ion
batteries. As well, the automaker notes that the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid is
extremely low maintenance due to its simple drive system.
Daimler AG is currently working with the city of Hamburg as
well as private partners like Shell and Vatenfall Europe on a fuel cell
infrastructure to aid the Citaro rollout. This collaboration is designed to
reduce emissions in Hamburg with hydrogen filling stations and emissions-free
transit vehicles. The Hamburg City Council and private partners have funded
four hydrogen stations in anticipation of a larger fuel cell vehicle
rollout. These fueling stations will be monitored during the initial
Mercedes-Benz rollout to assess daily use and technical issues.
Daimler is approaching the rollout of the Mercedes-Benz
Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid the best way possible. The six-year trial of the Citaro FuelCELL
Hybrid throughout the world shows that the technology is ready today. The automaker
not only found a customer in the Hamburg City Council but also brought in
private companies to simplify the rollout. Daimler and its partners are also
working toward a fuel cell infrastructure needed to extend the range of buses
and fleet vehicles. In addition to alleviating short-term concerns over the Citaro rollout,
Daimler is opening up the possibility of fuel cell passenger vehicles within
the next decade.
